World of Light: The Subspace Emissary II
by RaggensGameplay
Summary: 10 years after the fight against the Subspace Army, the old group in Brawl finds out that their friends are either missing or dead and so by force embark on another dangerous adventure. When newcomers have heard of the returning Subspace Army, bigger than ever before, they would travel through different areas to uncover the truth of the Master Core and Tabuu.
1. Pt 1: Ten Years Later

The blazing-white sun glazed in the afternoon, hovering over the floating arena. The cries of the audience faded into the center, where four swordfighters were attacking one another. The polished steel gleamed as the light flashed on their surfaces, partially blinding both the challengers and audience watching from the distance. When two of the warriors were knocked out into the abyss that seemed to go on forever before being picked up by strange technology in the arena, the only two fighters that remained were a certain, blue-eyed blond, elf-like man, clothed in green, wielding a sword in his left hand, and a brown-haired angel garmented in white with a metallic bow that halved into two blades at will. With one slash, the green-clothed warrior knocked the angel off the stage, but not before the divine being used his own power of flight from the gods above and launched himself back, slashing and continuing the fight.

Sitting in the participant row of the crowd, a short, stout man with blue overalls, a brown moustache, and a red cap on his head was sitting next to who appeared to be a princess dressed in pink. A look of concern on his face, the red-clothed man got up, walking from the battle stage. The princess, named Princess "Toadstool" Peach, noticed he was walking away.

"Mario?" she replied.

As Mario walked to what appeared to be his new and improved room, he sat down on the chair in front of his desk, laying his red cap imprinted with an "M" on it. Short locks of dark brown drifted behind his ears, covering his head. As Mario stroked his moustache, he took a doctor's stethoscope, admiring it for a while before setting it on his desk.

 _What are we still doing here?_ Mario thought. _Ten years of peace… and I feel as though things haven't changed yet._ When Mario noticed an old photo stocked away, he slowly took it out, his white gloves brushing away the dust. Behind those pale layers of gray, worn-out marker spelled out "Smash Bros. 2008", revealing the old gang posing for the picture – **Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, King Dedede, Wario, Meta Knight, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Zero Suit Samus, Pikachu, Pokémon Trainer (with Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle), Jigglypuff, Lucario, Ness, Lucas, Captain Falcon, Marth, Ike, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Olimar, Pit, R.O.B., Mr. Game & Watch, Ice Climbers, Sonic, and Snake.**

 _After all this time,_ Mario wondered, _could it be that there's something we haven't finished yet?_ Suddenly, Mario was getting flashbacks – everything was in a dark tone, just like the days back when the Subspace Army first attacked. He remembered the enemies involved, how Mr. Game & Watch was harvested and cloned for the Shadow Bugs within him, how the Ancient Minister lost his species to extinction, and how the fighters they allied with turned out to be nothing more than trophies, the one thing they all had in common, but he didn't know why. Why they always fight whoever they come across. Are they some sort of even more ancient civilization lost in time?

Are they… simply toys in the mind of another, playing by a story?

When Mario heard the fan cries of the audience, he suddenly woke from his daydreaming, running out of his room towards the winner of the recent match.

"Link, Link, Link!"

Running out to the winning platform, Mario noticed Link won, leaving an unconscious Pit wounded as though he lost a play fight. Once Mario stepped on the platform, he shook hands with Link, congratulating the Hyrulian.

"Nice, Link! You and everyone else certainly are improving! Strange how we all don't turn into trophies nowadays and I'm the only one that always has to tend to the injured fighters," Mario replied.

"Yeah," Link responded in a soft tone. "It's been like this ever since the fight against Tabuu. Don't you think so, Mario?"

While Link was talking, Mario was just smirking at Pit's tantrums, who was just wailing at a few bruises and crying how much the pain that was delivered to him was so great that he might "die". When Mario suddenly remembered he was in the middle of a conversation, he focused his attention toward Link, answering with, "Of course. I still remember the days, even though I wish I forgot a long time ago."

When the two fighters heard Pit still crying, Link giggled and said, "I think the angel needs you, Mario. Good thing you got a doctor's job years ago."

"And I am still glad I got it," Mario answered. "Take care during the next match, okay?" And just like that, the short plumber walked off the winning platform with Link, getting ready for the next match. Walking off to Princess Peach and Zelda, Mario was suddenly stopped by a familiar face.

"Snake!" Mario replied. "What a pleasant surprise, you old chap! Heck, I almost didn't even notice the eyepatch you're wearing!"

Covering Snake's right eye was a black eyepatch. When Snake noticed it, he said, "What, this thing? I'm wearing it because… because… You know, I certainly can't remember. It makes as much sense as Ike suddenly growing up into a man." Pointing to Ike, Mario noticed the blue-haired mercenary turned from a teenager to a real warrior, bulging muscles and a new look sporting him as he was chatting with Sonic and Ness.

"Anyway," Snake uttered, "I have some news from the Master Hand."

"Master Hand!?" Mario exclaimed.

"Shhh…" Snake whispered while covering Mario's mouth with his hand. "This is a secret between the few of us that know. Come with me."

Following Snake to an abandoned room in the floating arena, Mario saw that the Ice Climbers, Wolf in a new uniform from his previous outfit ten years prior and with his visor missing, the Pokémon Trainer with Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle, and Lucas were all here as well.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I brought you here today," Snake pronounced. "You probably don't think it's possible for the Master Hand to communicate with us outside his world now, but times have changed ever since Tabuu's defeat." Taking a parchment of paper, Snake laid it on the only table in this room, and the fighters gathered around.

"What is that?" Wolf snorted, straightening his new war uniform. "Some kind of morse code?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Snake answered. "Thank you, Wolf O' Donnell. I know this kind of stuff when I see it. This thing came to me in a vision. Without word, I heard the beeps and quickly wrote it down."

"What does it say?" Lucas asked.

A brief moment of silence hung over the fighters as Snake glared at Lucas with his only visible eye. "Do I really have to explain this to you, kid?" Snake finally asked. "If you're so interested in knowing what it says, it reads, 'ISLE OF THE ANCIENTS FOUND. PEAKING OUT FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN. HEAD ON OVER IMMEDIATELY. FIND THE LAST SUBSPACE BOMB. OVER.'"

"Well, let's get going right away!" Mario exclaimed.

"I wouldn't be so sure, plumber," Snake responded. "You see, this message is given to the bravest of fighters who fought against the Subspace Army: us."

When everyone in the room heard about this, they looked at Snake with a face of confusion. "What do you mean?" the Pokémon Trainer finally spoke up.

"Yeah," Mario butted. "I thought the Isle of the Ancients was destroyed a long time ago, with all the Subspace Bombs going off, forever lost in the darkness."

"I dunno why it needs only the few of us to check what remained of that godforsaken place," Snake uttered, "but from what I heard, the last Subspace Bomb somehow survived and we have to investigate that thing."

"Wait, wait, wait," Mario replied. "I thought only R.O.B.'s kind could detonate those Subspace Bombs – two of them each – but weren't they all wiped out?"

"This could mean something," Snake responded, "but whatever it is, only the few of us can ever know what's going on."

"But first of all," Mario asked, "who's going to keep it a secret? Second, why does it need to be kept secret? Thirdly, why only you guys?"

As the dim light flickered above Mario and the others, the quiet air flowed through the curves of the chairs, silencing whatever noise the tiniest specks of dust altered, including the fighters. Once the stillness faded away, Snake riposted, "It's because… For once, you're right. We don't know what we're doing. But whatever the Master Hand orders us to do, we do it without question or ask for his reason why. As for you, Mario, it's best if you hide that we're leaving for the Ruins of the Ancients."

"But," Mario rebutted, "won't the other fighters become suspicious?"

"We're all simply toys," Snake answered. "Playing according to the mind of another being not of this world, I think…"

"I doubt nobody will notice," Mario questioned. "What if we have evolved to the point where we have our own free will? Not merely just slaves?"

A single moment passed by. Neither knew what was going to happen to them, regardless of the task they were all given. Walking out of the room without a single one answering, Snake, Wolf, Ice Climbers, Pokémon Trainer with Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle, and Lucas ran off, grabbing a map and whatever equipment they could find, leaving Mario with a look of worry on his face. Later, when the bright sun was beginning to dim into a neon-orange and lower itself in the sky behind the horizon, the stout plumber stopped them before the moment they set out the door to the hovercar garage.

"Be careful," Mario uttered. "I'll make sure nobody finds out."

Everyone started to walk out, except for Charizard and Lucas, who ran towards Mario and gave him a farewell hug.

"We'll miss you, old buddy," Lucas wept.

Once the hug was broken, Mario patted the blond-haired boy's and the Pokémon's shoulders, answering, "I'll miss you guys, too."

"Charizard!" the Pokémon Trainer cried out. "Come over here! I need a mount! You too, Lucas! The others are waiting for you!"

Once Charizard and Lucas walked off, they waved goodbye to Mario, who shut the wide-open door behind them, getting into a nearby hovercar with the others and fly away towards the Ruins of the Ancients.

 _I hope they'll be alright,_ Mario thought. _After all, the Subspace Army can't have returned, right?_


	2. Pt 2: A Familiar War Returns

The sun rose on the horizon, revealing the mountains bathed in green and the sky cloaked a ravenous violet fading into a bright blue. Mario was the first to get up, slipping from his shirtless, cyan boxers into his usual clothing, straightening up his cap. Slowly climbing out from his bed and walking from his room, he noticed most of the other fighters were already up, either getting ready for another battle at the arena or gossiping about something. Wait a minute...

Mario heard Zero Suit Samus talking with Fox, Captain Falcon, Zelda, and Peach. Starting to get worried about what the situation could be, the stout plumber ran over to the group immediately, trying to hear what it is they were talking about.

Zero Suit Samus, her voice sounding sassy but tough as well as gentle, resounded, "And there I was, just cleaning up my Power Suit, when all of a sudden I caught a glimpse of Snake taking Mario somewhere in this place. I followed them to one of the old stash rooms, where Red with his three 'Pocket Monsters', the Ice Climbers, Wolf O' Donnell, and Lucas were talking about some sort of ruins partially sticking out of the ocean, and they just left with one of the hovercars in the big garage missing."

Peach, looking rather suspicious, asked, "How do you know they left for some ancient ruins?"

Just then, Mario noticed the blond-haired bounty hunter in the skin-tight blue Zero Suit pulled out a small parchment with the morse code on it, having the translation on the bottom. "I have proof," she answered. Mario felt shocked when his secret was gossiped. Terrified, he ran towards Samus Aran and pulled her away from the conversation.

"How-a did you know this?" Mario lamented. "I thought we kept this a secret."

"Should have kept your skeleton in the cupboard better, pal," Zero Suit Samus responded, playing with the parchment in her hands. "Now everyone knows about the disappearance you kept from us." And that Mario did remember. It had only been a few days ever since Snake and the others left, and he had been keeping the fighters from knowing about their absence and what remained of the Subspace Army.

"But... you're not supposed to know about our friends disappearing." Mario objected.

"Well," Samus rebutted, "if you had really kept it under the rug better, maybe I wouldn't have known, but nope. Even I have feelings about this situation."

"Look," Mario interrupted. "I don't know why this is happening, but as long as everyone plays along, we should be fine, right?"

"Play along with what?" Before Mario could answer, Samus Aran walked off, throwing the parchment with the morse code and translation on the ground. When Mario picked it up, he deeply sighed and watched as Peach shook her head, heading on over to the central stage to participate in the next battle.

 _I was right…_ Mario pulled the cap over his face. _We might be self-aware we're in a story. Snake and the others should have never gone off. Who knows what could happen?_

* * *

Hundreds of miles from land to sea, Snake, Wolf, Pokémon Trainer, Charizard, Ivysaur, Squirtle, Ice Climbers, and Lucas were driving their hovercar towards to what appeared to be a set of islands, some scattered far apart and closer than others, surrounding the largest of them at the center.

When the other fighters saw their destination, Wolf said, "That's our Isle of the Ancients? That looks like nothing more than a buncha islands in the middle of nowhere."

"You wanna know why we're here?" Snake asked. "Two things. One: Take a look at the map. Try to figure out if they are like pieces of a puzzle long lost in history."

Pulling out the map, Snake gave it to the fighters behind him. When everyone took a glimpse of the old Isle of the Ancients, they quickly figured out there are some pieces of what remained, and the rubble that survived being sucked into Subspace now looked more luscious green and less of a civilization.

"Second," Snake then answered, "you see that glowing cross at the center?" When Snake pointed to the center island, the other fighters saw that it looked almost like a perfect circle, and there was a glowing area that shined like a cross, even though it was off-center.

"The brightest part is our destination," Snake lamented. "The area where the two light lines intersect."

When the fighters found a place to land their hovercar, they unpacked their stuff and set out for the glowing area in the center of the bright cross.

"I hope we'll be alright," Lucas whimpered.

"You were brave enough to fight against Tabuu, kid," Wolf resorted. "If you can manage fighting against the entire Subspace Army, then you can manage looking for a home powerful enough to rip a hole to another dimension."

When the group was walking through the uncharted territory, they noticed pieces of a city that seemed to belong to the Ancients. As they walked through ruins of a long-lost civilization, they came across what appeared to be a development nursery where more of R.O.B.'s kind was made. Nowadays, the place looked like a cemetery, metal corpses lying around with wires sticking out, and their bodies were rusted and covered with moss.

Lucas was mainly observing the Ancients with Charizard, looking over the few frozen stuck in the ground and disjointed. Slowly walking up to one of the unburied graves, Lucas held Charizard's paw while placing a small, white flower he found in the forest on the soft dirt.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Lucas said. "I wonder if there's anything we can do to avenge your kind." Walking off while still holding Charizard's hand, Lucas was just about ready to head back to the rest of the group before finding out the fighters already went off without them.

"Guys?" Lucas whimpered. "Snake? Wolf? Ice Climbers? Anyone? Why'd they go off without us?" When the blond-haired PSI boy hugged Charizard, he didn't know that the Fire-Type Pokémon was starting to pick up the Pokémon Trainer's scent, knowing that they were still walking off to the glowing area in the light cross's center. Once Lucas gathered his confidence, he saw that even if they were far separated from the group, he can still figure out where they're going and meet up with them there.

"Come on, Charizard!" Lucas cried when he ran off to the destination. "We can still catch up!" And just like that, Charizard flew towards Lucas and headed to their location.

Meanwhile, Snake and the others figured out that few of their teammates were left behind while wandering through the deepest part of the overgrown forest.

"Don't you think we should wait up for them, Snake?" Red asked.

"It's fine," Snake replied while brushing away the thick bushes. "I'm sure either they can follow to our location or wait for us to get back."

When Snake cleared a path for the group, the fighters saw they were on the edge of a small plain that seemed to curve in on itself somewhat like a crater, with the last Subspace Bomb in the center, dull-colored and scratched while plants surrounded its surface and dug into the center timer. But, since it was abandoned for years, the detonating wires fell off and several species of tiny insects were living underneath the rubber coverage.

"Well," Snake replied, "there it is. The last Subspace Bomb."

"We gonna be taking it home?" Wolf asked.

"Sure thing," Snake answered. "From what I heard, we have to take it back to the base and study it further, maybe even learn a little something about our enemy…"

Lucas and Charizard were still away from a distance when they saw the rest of their group attempting to dig up the Subspace Bomb and analyze it further. The blond-haired PSI was about to call out for them when they suddenly heard a strange noise.

"What was that?" Popo and Nana stammered while hugging each other.

"I don't know," Red said, Ivysaur and Squirtle at his side, "but whatever it is, we're ready."

Just when the noise was quieting down, a big gush of air rushed above the trees, above Lucas and Charizard. Observing from a distance, the group saw that out of the blue appeared a powerful war plane that looked and behaved much like a dragon. The artificial monster had metallic scales, and its heavy wings were carried by fast jets strong enough to break the sound barrier. The spines on its back were so sharp they looked like they would cut through steel, and their eyes glowed an unholy flame. When the machine caught its eye on the group, it flew down with a mighty roar, and its mouth opened to reveal fire in the back of its throat. Once it was on a low levitation from the ground, it shot a great ball that seemed to burn half as bright as the sun, scorching the tall grass in its path.

"Everyone, get out of the way!" Snake exclaimed. When Snake and the group jumped away, the fireball hit some of the trees, resulting in a powerful blast that left a large crater after the explosion. After the group got up, they saw the machine flew back for more, firing more blasts at the group, all while everyone was dodging the explosions, figuring out a plan on how to get that thing on the ground.

"What the heck is that thing!?" Red asked, hiding in the tall grass.

"I don't think we know, but for the sake of this fight, we'll just call it... a Winged Firestorm," Snake answered, ducking once the creature flew overhead.

Once Snake was at a clear spot, he readied a missile with his RPG, firing at the monster's base of its neck. The moment the machine saw Snake with the weapon in his hand, it dashed right towards him, but not while Wolf started to jump on the beast and claw through its steel skin. The marks that were exposed revealed a weak spot underneath the metal. Once the exposure was shown, Wolf jumped off and landed next to Snake.

"Nice work, Wolf," Snake replied.

"It's nothing," Wolf responded.

The Ice Climbers were jumping onto its back, using ice to crack open the weak spot and make it wider, hanging onto each other while the beast was trying to shake them off. Lucas and Charizard were going on over to help their buddies, but they were stopped by the fireballs blasted from the machine. Once the weak spot was revealed, Red turned the cap on his head behind him, and turned to Squirtle.

"Alright, buddy," Red replied. "Squirtle, use Hydro Blast!"

Once Squirtle got perfect aim, the young Pokémon fired a powerful blast of water, drenching the fire spreading on the ground and cutting through the metal skin on the machine. When the monster felt the water shearing its neck, it let out a weak roar before it crashed into the ground and died, right next to the last Subspace Bomb.

"Way to go, guys!" Snake said.

"That dragon was no match for our teamwork!" Nana peeped.

When Red saw Lucas and Charizard waving at them, he remarked, "Come on, guys. We forgot Lucas and Charizard. They were trying to get to us all this time. The least we can do is reunite with them."

"Good point," Snake answered. "Well, then. Let's grab the bomb and get out of here. Huh?"

When the group looked up at the sky, they saw more of those Winged Forestorms, and the one they defeated was leaking out a few Shadow Bugs, the primary enemies of the Subspace Army, even though there was only a tiny portion of it. As the black-and-purple mist poured out onto the ground, creatures known as Primids rose up, with scars on their faces this time and sporting claws on their hands, and their eyes were more red, downcast, and dull, each one having three or more eyes on their faces, one, or a very rare addition of two. Once the fighters noticed the Primids shuffling like zombies behind them, the dragons spewed out more Shadow Bugs from their bellies, the latches opening and, like bombs, slowly floated to the ground, creating all the past minor enemies of the Subspace Army.

"Shadow Bugs?" Red said. "What are they doing here? I thought we sealed the gateway to Subspace forever!"

"Well, they probably somehow found a way back into our world," Snake answered. "Now, just stay together and let's fight our way out of here."

"What about the bomb we were supposed to bring back?" Wolf asked.

"The bomb is not that important right now," Snake responded. "We'll have to come back another day."

The sky was darkening with a black-red cloud above the Ruins of the Ancients, and the Primids' eyes glared brighter in a blood shade, signs of mouths dripping and slobbering violet their stained, jagged teeth (which they didn't have before), and sprouted demonic wings that were never actually used for flying and instead only used for intimidation. There were a few Primids in the classical style from ten years ago, which tensed up the atmosphere waiting to arise.

The Primids started running rather fast and began attacking the fighters. Snake grabbed his grenades, pulling the triggers with his mouth and rolling them beside the Primids' feet, which exploded in place. Wolf grabbed his blaster, firing the enemies in the air while Red got Ivysaur and Squirtle to fire their poison seeds and water blasts on the ground. Meanwhile, the metal dragons circled around them in the air, burning a circle in the grass and dropping out more Shadow Bugs, trapping Lucas and Charizard outside when they were just running in to help their buddies.

"We can't just stand around doing nothing," Lucas cried. "We've got to go in! Fly us over that wall of fire!"

After Lucas got on Charizard's back, the PSI boy kicked with his heel, light enough to get the Pokémon going. Once Charizard spread his wings, he flew over the tall flames, his body covering the last speck of sunlight that was hidden from the black-red cloud. When the two fighters got on over, they saw Snake, the Ice Climbers, Wolf, and Red with Ivysaur and Squirtle attacking the Generators spawned by the metal dragons, which created Mites in small groups that teamed up with the minor Subspace Army members.

Snake was still blasting many of the metal dragons out of the sky with his Nikita, those either crashing into the sky or in the sea, Wolf and the Ice Climbers grabbed their weapons and attacked the Buckots that were just about to pour hot, liquid iron on their heads while avoiding the drops that spilled out and disintegrated the ground below them. The Pokémon Trainer was in a safe spot, giving orders to Ivysaur to spew poison mist, intoxicating the incoming Primids and forcing them to collapse and die, while Squirtle used his shell attack and, like a Koopa, whacked himself against the other enemies, leaving a Shadow Bug mess like soft gore where some of the Subspace Army minor members should be.

"Red!" Lucas cried out. When the Pokémon Trainer saw Lucas with Charizard, he tried running towards them, but all of a sudden, the largest of the metal dragons, tainted blue with golden scar-like stripes, landed next to the last Subspace Bomb where the Primids, Mites, Buckots, and all the other dragons and minor Subspace Army allies gathered around. There, the lead dragon opened up its stomach to lower down a floating platform, and there were six strange figures. Because of the unholy smoke staining the fighters' eyes, they couldn't figure out what they really looked like, but they could add the details of the silhouettes against the fire. Three of them looked almost identical to each other, short, human-like bodies but not quite, each one of them holding different weapons of choice – fists, sword, and arm cannon; two of them seemed to be psychic as they were levitating a few inches off the ground, and one seemed to have long, silky hair, a thin sword multiple times as big as the wielder himself, and one wing sprouting out from his right shoulder. Once the wildfire was spreading, the minor Subspace Army members were closing in around the fighters, their bloodshed eyes glowing brighter than ever.

Knowing that not all of them will survive the Subspace Army's new recruits, Red ran towards Lucas and Charizard, hugging them tight and saying, "Lucas, take Charizard with you. Fly back home and tell everyone… the Subspace Army has returned, and this time they have new recruits. Whatever you do, don't look back."

"What?" Lucas exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"  
"Trust me," Red replied. "We'll find our way back to you."

Just when Lucas got on Charizard's back again, the Pokémon started growling sadly, and the Trainer answered, "No, Charizard. This is the last order I'm going to give you for now. Promise you'll come back for me when this is over."

When Charizard and Lucas took off into the skies, they were blasting all sorts of flying enemies from the sky, even a few of the metal dragons with PK Fires and Flare Blitzes. After they saw an opening in the black-red cloud, they flew out against the broad daylight, heading out to the mainland and leaving the rest of their friends behind.

Meanwhile, the Pokémon Trainer, Ivysaur, Squirtle, the Ice Climbers, Wolf, and Snake were eventually beaten up and unconscious, while the Primids gathered two pairs of arms from the Ancient corpses. Two of the strange figures cast some sort of magic on them, granting the limbs sentience. The Primids placed the enchanted robot arms in the trigger holes and started the countdown. The last Subspace Bomb was activated and began the countdown to 10 seconds.

"It wouldn't be long now," one of the strange figures whispered, still hiding in the shadows against the fire. "Soon, we'll find more resources to create the perfect world, and no one will be around to witness it. Take the trophies we got prisoner. We'll follow those that escaped to the rest of their friends."

When the last Subspace Bomb finished the countdown, a large explosion ripped through the air, filling the air with a hole leading to the depths of space, and the black-red cloud started expanding faster. The metal dragons escaped the explosion, few flying into the portal to ready the defenses while most of them went into the mainland, the leader heading in Lucas' and Charizard's direction.


	3. Pt 3: Everything Changes

Back at the floating arena, Mario was in his room, slumping on his bed. Holding the old photo of the group, he was thinking about the friendships he made all this time, and how it could probably be all broken because of the secret revealed about the last Subspace Bomb. Just then, Mario heard a knock on the door and slowly slid the photo in his overalls' pocket.

"Hey, it's Sonic," the voice from outside called out from the door. "Is it fine if I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," Mario answered. "The door's open."

Sonic slowly walked in, the door creaking, quietly waving at Mario who was still sitting on the bed. Rubbing his eyes, the blue hedgehog sat on the bed, next to the plumber.

"By the way," Sonic lamented, "I'm sorry about what happened earlier today."

"No, no. It's my fault," Mario replied. "I was the one who got into this mess when I helped Snake and his friends head over to what remained of the Ancients. They received a note from the Master Hand to check out the last Subspace Bomb."

"Listen, Mario," Sonic said. "Despite everything that's happened all because you won't tell the truth, I'm one of the many fighters who can take the blame, because that's what a good friend does. I've been living in this world unaffected by those transformations, and I have noticed recently that you guys haven't been transformed yet. Wonder why. Regardless, I am always happy to provide with what you can't remember. We can be more than just toys, y'know."

Mario thought about the times he put his teammates in a tough situation and helped them get out of it, considering he was one of the few trophies who was only here for fighting. Holding Sonic's hand, the plumber answered, "Thanks for your advice, hedgehog. I'm sure we can think of something to keep this under control."

Sonic and Mario smiled at each other, but just then Ike walked in, tired and catching his breath.

"What is it?" Sonic asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh-huh," Ike responded. "Lucas and Charizard are back, and they're in the center stage, trying to tell the crowd about an… attack, or something?"

Just then, Mario got up from his bed, running off. Sonic and Ike were following the plumber, the blue hedgehog eventually catching up because what else would you expect from the fastest thing alive?

Mario, Sonic, and Ike eventually met up with all the other fighters – Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Mr. Game & Watch, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Zero Suit Samus, Pit, Marth, Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Fox, Falco, Pikachu, Lucario, Jigglypuff, R.O.B., Ness, Captain Falcon, and Olimar – seeing that Lucas and Charizard were trying to tell everyone about the fight they just witnessed while the crowd was mumbling in fear.

"Listen, everyone!" Lucas cried out. "The Subspace Army has returned, and we have to get ready!" However, no matter how hard the blond-haired PSI boy tried to make all of it sound true, it seemed no one believed him except for all the other fighters. Lucas looked at his friends, tears in his eyes.

"Please," Lucas wept. "You have to leave. The Subspace Army has taken our buddies and is on their way here. There are new recruits we haven't seen yet, but we can tell they're very dangerous. If we're not careful, we might be next on their killing list!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Fox spoke, trying to calm Lucas down. "What happened?"

"Snake and the others have been captured," Lucas answered as calmly as he could. "Charizard and I were the only ones to escape."

The fighters all looked at each other, worry in their faces. Link, his voice sweet and compassionate, replied, "We understand, kid. Now come on. We have to get out of here before- What the-?"

Just then, the sky turned a dark red, the people were screaming in fear, and the Winged Firestorm colored blue soared through the sky, breathing Shadow Bugs onto the stage. When the fighters saw the purplish-black specks falling, they moved out of the way, watching as they clustered together to form Primids and the lowest members of the Subspace Army.

"It's the Winged Firestorm Pro!" Lucas exclaimed, trembling in fear as Charizard growled. "They've found us!"

"I thought this would never happen again," Lucario muttered, "but I guess we'll be doing this once more." Readying their choices of weapons, the fighters all rushed towards the minor Subspace Army members. The dragon, in the meantime, was hovering over the arena, and a voice was booming out from its mouth: "Take as many as you can prisoner. Raid the items room and steal whatever you can find. These resources are perfect to recreate the weapons of the past."

The minor Subspace Army members rushed towards the fighters, their claws outspread and their blood-red eyes glowing bright with envy. Mario rushed in, blasts of fire coming out of his hands, as he punched a few Primids in the face and burned them alive. Luigi followed in to his brother, but since he was more cowardly he only went out with a few fireballs while slapping the Primids with his hands, crying in fear.

Peach was pelting with turnips, Bowser slamming and knocking them sky-high, Wario rode his bike, running over the Primids; R.O.B. and Mr. Game & Watch were beating up whatever enemy attacked them. Link, Pit, Marth, and Ike were using their weapons and swords, Sonic went faster than the naked eye and launched the minor Subspace Army members into oblivion, Samus in her Zero Suit was agile in her movement and with her newly equipped jet boots kicked most of the Primids out of the Midair Stadium, and Zelda launched blasts of magic, and the Primids that fell out of the center stage spontaneously combusted down below.

Once all the fighters cleared the area and everyone in the crowd evacuated, more Shadow Bugs were raining out of the sky, but this time they just stood there as they took their physical forms. The Winged Firestorm Pro flew back, and it just hovered in midair as the hatches in its stomach opened and black rope fell down in the Midair Stadium. Then, three figures slid onto the stage, meeting the fighters on the stage as the Subspace Army backed away as best as they could. The figures almost looked exactly the same to each other – peculiar bodies that resemble a humanoid's structure while still being rather small, and all they wore were black cloaks marked with two perpendicular lines colored many different shades of the rainbow flowing like fire, with the insides of their hoods so dark you can't make out their faces, and their arms were sticking out – with only a few different features; the figure with the red arms was wielding its bare hands, the one with dark blue a sword, and the one with orange a motion-controlled arm cannon. More figures slid down onto the stage, but they weren't wearing masks and instead exposing their faces, as many of them too were wielding weapons of their own. The faces looked peculiar being supported by their single-colored bodies, and each one of them resembled humans but were unique in their own way.

"What are those things?" Zelda asked.

"I don't think anybody knows, princess," Zero Suit Samus answered.

"Please," the figure with the fists called out onto the empty stadium. "Don't hesitate to call us by our preferred names: the Ultimates of the Mii Fighter clan. Although I feel like just Ultimates are a better choice."

"Three types - Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner, three times the pain," Sonic spoke to the fighters. "I've got a good feeling they don't remember me anymore..." Fox looked at Sonic, starting to grow a little suspicious about the blue hedgehog. For whatever reason, the Star Fox mercenary knew there was something Sonic wasn't telling the other fighters.

"What do you want from us?" Meta Knight cried out.

"Just a little something," the Gunner Ultimate replied. "How about… giving yourself up for Tabuu?"

"But Tabuu's dead," Pit objected. "We killed him a long time ago and sealed the doorway to Subspace forever."

"Why do you think you see the Subspace Army in front of you?" the Gunner Ultimate asked. "Not that you can ask us. We are just the first in command, y'know. Wait… that robot…" When the Gunner Ultimate noticed R.O.B., she sent out two of the Mii Fighters to drag him out. R.O.B. tried struggling, but their grasp was firm. Eventually, they let the robot go and pushed him onto the ground.

"Well, well, well," the Swordfighter Ultimate said. "If it isn't the Ancient Minister himself. I almost didn't even notice you lost that thought translator when we heard your cloak burned up, which WE have by the way."

"Hey, and don't forget that 2D render you guys brought with you," the Brawler Ultimate replied as he pointed to Mr. Game & Watch.

"Enough fun and games-a," Mario said. "Why have you come here?"

"Oh, just to bring you guys a little present," the Swordfighter Ultimate answered. "You're pretty obvious about the rules of the world have be altered a lot so now you can't die but you can't turn into trophies either, right?"

"Sure, we're sure," Zero Suit Samus remarked.

"Well," the Gunner Ultimate debated, "all you know is just a tiny fraction of what really happens around here nowadays. Bring out the Dark Cannon!"

The pilots inside the metal dragon heard the command and the latches on the airship's stomach opened once again, gently lowering down a familiar weapon from the past. The fighters all looked at it in fear when they remembered what it does.

"I'm sure many of you have seen a Dark Cannon, or used it, before," the Brawler Ultimate said, "and how it's charged with the pure essence of Tabuu's Off-Waves, capable of turning anyone back into their trophy selves. But as we were recovering the last existing one from its long-lost tomb, we noticed it does something a little different – one that you are unable to reverse for as long as you live on this worthless planet. And, just for fun, we will be testing it to show you what it can do as of now. Troops!"

Few of the Mii Fighters dragged out Mario, Link, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus out of the group, and the fighters cannot do anything to stop them. Once the Dark Cannon was set in place and it started charging, those that were dragged out to be perfect targets looked at the others and gave each other a face of worry.

"Don't worry," Link sighed. "No matter what happens to us, we just want to tell you guys how much we all lo–"

Before Link was about to finish, he felt himself get hit by the Dark Cannon's bullet, which also rammed right into Mario, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus in one strike. After a brief second of blinding light, the fighters saw that Mario, Link, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus were slowly waking up. When the targeted fighters got up, they felt perfectly fine – to make things even stranger, a little floatier. However, just as soon as they looked to their right, they saw what appeared to be four more unconscious bodies lying next to them. When those fighters too got up, they blankly stared at their original copies, while the rest of the group looked with shocks of fright in their faces.

Mario was observing his cloned copy, muttering, "Is that… me? As Dr. Mario? That coat… the headpiece… oh, no…"

For Link, he thought, "Could that be… an alternate version of me? That kid who looks like he belongs in a cartoon? Toon Link?"

Zelda, her face looking rather terrified, stammered, "Sheik? The person I pretended to be when I ran away from Hyrule Castle for seven years?"

Zero Suit Samus, confused, said, "Since when did my Power Suit have a mind of its own? Being Samus is one thing, but I've just officially become Zero Suit Samus. I wonder who's piloting that thing now that it's out of my life…"

"What happened?" the targeted fighters asked.

"Fragments of your minds are now in separate bodies," the Swordfighter Ultimate answered. "What the Dark Cannon does now is split an important part of your personalities into a completely different person, those of which will revolt against you and destroy you."

"You'll both have new abilities compared to when you were whole," the Gunner Ultimate said, "but hey, you'll get used to it because this will never go away for as long as you live. And as for the rest of you, you're all next."

The Mii Fighters and the Ultimates then readied their weapons as the Dark Cannon was beginning to charge once again. It seemed like all was lost for the fighters, but Sonic rushed in and snatched the Dark Cannon out of the Subspace Army's hands.

"Looks like we'll make sure none of this ever happens again," Sonic remarked, his face away from the charging weapon. And just like that, the blue hedgehog snapped it in two and tossed it over the stage, deep down into the chasm below.

"Good work, Sonic-a," Mario cheered.

"You idiot," the Brawler Ultimate growled. "What have you done? The Dark Cannon will explode when it's finished charging and now it's snapped in half. There's unidentified matter in that large pit, and if the following explosion connects, half of the Midair Stadium will become demolished!"

"Well," Sonic smirked. "Looks like you should have told me before I broke it. But, it's your loss."

"Shut up!" the Gunner Ultimate exclaimed. "Subspace Army, ATTACK! Take whoever you can prisoner and get the rest of our troops in the items vault back up here immediately! We need to have hostages and resources and flee as soon as we can! We have two minutes max!"

Soon, it was going to be a big blood battle between the Subspace Army and the still rather small group of fighters, and when the two minutes are up, no one wins in the end, so the best solution is to head towards the emergency exit and stop whatever gets in their way. Lucas and Charizard were just about to go with them, but they felt themselves latched in chains by the classic Primids, pulled towards the metal dragon while the Primids who ran into the items room came back with whatever they got.

"We have to get out of here as fast as we can!" Zelda cried. "We're going to have to take whatever vehicle we can find and go!"

"But Charizard and Lucas are being taken away!" Marth said, pointing at the Pokémon and PSI boy who are being dragged into the blue-tainted metal dragon by chains and were struggling to get free from the Primids and Mii Fighters, crying for help.

"We can always come back for them later," Zelda answered. "Right now, we all have to get out of here before this place goes down with us in it!"

Marth, nodding his head in command, waved towards the two fighters being taken prisoner with the items into the Winged Firestorm Pro, yelling, "Don't worry! We'll come back for you! Just hang in there!"

Just like that, all the fighters that weren't captured ran off towards the vehicles in the emergency exit, with a quartz bridge to cross the abyss. Most of them managed to get across, but the Ultimates noticed they too were getting away.

Waving to a large red Nagagog, the Brawler Ultimate pointed to the bridge at the exit and ordered, "Destroy that bridge before any more of them escape!" And then, running towards the quartz bridge, the Nagagog slammed its body into the quartz, sacrificing itself as if fell to the bottom. The leftover rubble was crumbling, splitting the bridge. Mario, Link, Zero Suit Samus, and Zelda managed to make it before the bridge broke, but their replicates were hanging on for dear life on their side, not letting go of the other.

"We gotta save them!" Mario told the three.

"But didn't you hear the Ultimates!?" Link asked. "They said that these clones will destroy us when we least expect it!"

Mario looked at the fighters hanging on for dear life, all while he saw the blue metal dragon flying off with the Ultimates, the Subspace Army, the Mii Fighters, and their friends Charizard and Lucas prisoner. A sharp light in Mario's eyes gleamed when he looked at the rest of his companions, saying, "The rest of you, go on without us."

"WHAT!?" all the fighters exclaimed.

"We'll be catching up with you," Mario answered. "And it's our job to make sure almost all of us gets out okay. Link, Zero Suit Samus, Zelda. You three will have to team up with me and save our buddies. Us guys will be going on Samus Aran's Ship. Until then, goodbye."

Many of the fighters were starting to weep, knowing that their friends may not make it. Sonic, looking at the flames spreading across the Midair Stadium for whatever reason, wept, "I guess this is goodbye if you guys don't make it." With a quick dash, the blue hedgehog hugged the red-capped plumber, and Mario hugged Sonic in return. Once the hug was broken, everyone ran off towards the exit, and Link, Zero Suit Samus, and Zelda stayed behind.

"Well, come on," Mario replied. "We gotta help our replicates. They are living beings, after all, whether they're good or evil. And this place is gonna blow up any minute. If we don't get out right now, we're history."

Grabbing Dr. Mario's hand, Mario and his teammates pulled the clones up, as the white-coated doctor got out first, followed by Toon Link, then Samus, and then Sheik. Once the replicates were on solid ground on the now-broken quartz bridge, the eight fighters ran off towards the exit, ready to grab Samus's Ship and fly out of here.

Meanwhile, all the other fighters were heading towards the hovercar parking lot. There were a series of large spaceships, two of which were the Big Blue and a large Wolfen Assault.

"Looks like we're going to have to pick one or the other," Meta Knight said. "The space will be cramped, I know, but at least they're the only ones so far that have enough fuel to get us out of here."

Suddenly, a Greap landed between the large group of fighters, splitting them apart. As the minor Subspace Army member was rapidly swinging its scythe-like arms, Captain Falcon, Meta Knight, Marth, Ike, Pit, Olimar, R.O.B., Mr. Game & Watch, Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Lucario, Jigglypuff, and Wario were on the Falcon Flyer's side, while Luigi, Diddy Kong, Fox, Falco, Yoshi, Kirby, King Dedede, Ganondorf, Pikachu, Ness, and Sonic were at a larger version of the Wolfen Assault. When the Greap started charging towards those at Wolf's ship, a large slash suddenly ran right through the Greap's thick skin, damaging its internal organs. Once the Greap was killed, the fighters saw that it was a Phantom summoned by Princess Zelda. After the Phantom disappeared, the Hyrulian princess looked at her hands, muttering, "Those Ultimates were right about one thing: we do have our own unique abilities." Mario, Dr. Mario, Sheik, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Link, and Toon Link caught up to Zelda, and Mario was tugging at her dress, saying, "We found Samus's Ship. Now, let's go with the group we're stuck with and fly out of here, everyone."

Once everyone got in their ships, turned them on, and hovered off the ground, the last Dark Cannon that was broken had just finished charging, and once it fired, it created a small blast that connected with the unnatural matter in the abyss, making a chain of explosions and destroying parts of the Midair Stadium. The lead metal dragon of the Subspace Army got out just in time, but the three ships didn't even leave and got caught in the blast, splitting from each other and flying off miles into the different corners of the land before they crashed.


	4. Pt 4: The Fighters of Skyworld

High up in the heavens, where gods and goddesses watch the land from above in the kingdom of Skyworld, someone was looking through a small mirror pool in a vast, empty room. That person was the wisest and fairest of the gods: Palutena, Goddess of Light. As the green-haired maiden was watching through the mirror, spying on the land, she noticed an explosion going on in the center. Driven by curiosity, she used her staff to zoom in on the situation. Covering her mouth in shock, she saw the Midair Stadium, engulfed in flames and crashing down onto the land.

"Oh, no," Palutena muttered. "I sure hope Pit is alright with his new friends." As she was about to walk off to investigate this further, she suddenly noticed the Winged Firestorm Pro flying off into the distance. As Palutena used her staff again to zoom in, she studied that the dragon looked like something not of this world and is part of none other than the Subspace Army.

"I thought those guys were taken care of ten years ago by Pit and his friends," Palutena said. "Well, now that they're back, I think now's my chance to join the battle this time."

Opening the door outside to Skyworld, Palutena was just about to walk off to the mortal world, taking a deep breath as she looked behind her one last time. Just then, she saw a figure running towards her from the shadows.

"If you're going," the figure called out, "it's my duty to make sure you're okay." The figure that walked out was a person that looked almost similar to Pit, but he had dark brown eyes, raven black hair, wings, and clothes, and he had a gloomy, irritated mood rather than happy and cheerful – Dark Pit.

"Why, Pittoo," Palutena replied, "if you really want to fight against a powerful army, you're going to have to work hard to earn it."

"Two things," Pittoo lamented. "One: will you please stop calling me Pittoo? You know how much I HATE that name. Second: you know how much I care for Pit-stain. Why, he sacrificed himself for me and I at least helped save him from a fate worse than death. The least you can do is let me go out with you so I can find Pit and make sure he's fine. And another thing, I was fighting against the Underworld Army and the Forces of Nature, pretty much because I AM a copy of Pit."

"Well, alright," Palutena said. "However, you'll have to be able to fly if you want to join the battle."

"You gave Pit his own usage of the Power of Flight ten years ago," Dark Pit lamented, "and I have Pandora's powers for my wings. It was nice serving as a replacement of captain of the guards, but I would like to see him again soon."

Dark Pit ran towards Palutena to the door, ready to stretch his wings and take off, but they were stopped by another voice.

"Stop this instant!" the voice of a childlike person echoed through the room. When the second figure walked into the light, it was revealed to be Viridi, Goddess of Nature.

"You are not taking one step out that door, Lady Palutena!" Viridi commanded.

"Oh," Palutena giggled, "and why's that?"

"For reasons unbeknownst," Viridi answered, "the Underworld Army AND my Forces of Nature are teaming up with the Subspace Army, laying waste to Skyworld! Even my powers are useless to stop them!"

"This sounds bad," Palutena resounded.

"You think!?" Viridi asked. "The Forces of Nature were supposed to eliminate humans but were destroyed by your faithful little angel, and the Underworld Army disappeared after Hades was defeated! Do you think this could be the cause of the Subspace Army's return? Because if so, then I don't think our troops can hold them back from destroying Skyworld for long."

As Palutena and Dark Pit looked out into Skyworld, they saw that the Forces of Nature and the Underworld Army were not attacking each other, but they were instead with some of the minor Subspace Army members breaking apart pieces of Skyworld.

"Then I guess we have no choice," Palutena said. "There's far too many that not even the centurions can exterminate them all. You're going to have to bring out the All-Powerful Sky Barrier."

"What!?" Pittoo and Viridi exclaimed. The Goddess of Nature then objected, "Are you crazy? If you and Dark Pit lure these creatures out there once the barrier is activated, you may never come back and be stuck with those miserable humans forever!"

"Well, Pit never came back after the fight against Tabuu," Palutena replied. "It would be nice to be stuck with him forever instead of wait here, wondering if he'll ever come back, not even knowing that he'll grow old and die."

"But he's an angel," Viridi said. "He can't truly die, but his friends can."

"But there's more to why we must help him this time," Palutena said. "Now, once we lead the Subspace Army out of Skyworld, we'll send you a signal to activate the All-Powerful Sky Barrier so that no one can get in or out, only helping humans with your powers, okay?"

Viridi, shock in her eyes, then moaned, "Okay, then."

Once Palutena and Dark Pit stepped onto the platform again, Palutena turned to Viridi and said, "Oh, one more thing. Please promise to never attack the humans for as long as I'm gone, despite how much you think they're contaminants and should be wiped out."

"Why would I?" Viridi replied. "The Forces of Nature would never listen to me right now and I doubt they ever will, so I can't even attack the humans if I want to."

"Good," Palutena smirked. After the argument, the goddess and the angel doppelganger jumped off, diving straight down to the soft, fluffy clouds down below.

The Monoeyes and the Daphnes in the air were the first to notice the pair falling from Palutena's Temple. Firing their balls of magic and bombs, the monsters attacked recklessly. Dark Pit flew in front of the Goddess of Light, grabbing the blades in his hands and clasping them together into a metallic bow in one snap. Purple light glowed from inbetween the handles stuck together as Pittoo fired a shower of arrows, raining down on the Underworld Army and the Forces of Nature.

After Dark Pit and Palutena landed on a rather large cloud, the goddess turned towards the black-winged doppelganger and said, "Okay, Pittoo. All we do is lead the armies of monsters out of here and have Viridi seal them out of Skyworld forever with the All-Powerful Sky Barrier."

"But isn't that dangerous as well as crazy?" Dark Pit objected.

"Like I said, it's something no one on the Skyworld throne has even attempted to do," Palutena sighed. "It's very risky in a scenario where we might not even come back, but it's for the best. We have been defending the heavens for long enough. It's now our chance to give those in the land of Arcadia to fight back too."

After Palutena finished, both she and Dark Pit heard the rumbling of the black-red cloud hovering above them. It then started raining Shadow Bugs from on high, and thus the Subspace Army has joined in the fight as mentioned before.

"Just when we thought this situation couldn't get any worse," Pittoo moaned.

Teamed up, the three forces rushed against the two divine beings and, despite having a huge number, were defeated easily. Palutena swung her staff around, firing projectiles of light from the tip, and Dark Pit used Pandora's powers to lift himself up into the air, grabbing his Hydroshock Arm and electrocuting those who even dare cross his way. Pittoo then took his bow and split it in half back to its two-bladed form, jabbing at the Primids that slowly walked towards them like zombies.

After the intense fight, the mere fraction of the Subspace Army was defeated, and the Underworld Army and the Forces of Nature retreated into the outer borders.

"Nice job, Dark Pit," Palutena panted. "You know, you just might serve as another bodyguard after all."

"All in a day's work," Pittoo sighed.

"It looks like you're sounding just like Pit," Palutena giggled.

"Wha- no, I'm not!" Dark Pit objected.

"Come on," Palutena replied. "More of the three armies are closing in on us, and we have to lead them out." As the large swarm of the three allied armies flew at a fast pace and the black-red cloud blotched the sun, the green-haired goddess and her black-winged doppelganger took a jump onto one of the lower clouds.

They suddenly saw someone feet away from them. The body structure seemed to resemble that of a grown woman, tall, slick, and beautiful. Silence lingered in the air for a while before the stranger said in a saucy British accent, "Hold it right there, fair maiden. And is that an angel I see?"

When the stranger turned around, she was revealed to have short, raven black hair, her black glasses were resting on her beautiful face with a small mole on her side, and her clothing was flowing with black and topaz blue, almost the same texture as her hair, laid with white, long gloves, slick high heels, and gold jewelry clipped onto the locks stuck on her arms. She was sucking on a small, sugar-coated lollipop, and the pairs of sapphire guns she was wielding were held by both her hands and attached to the sides of her feet, all of them with handwriting engraved, "Love is Blue", and her shadow resembled that of a woman with butterfly wings.

"Well, well, well," the woman said. "Didn't think I would bump into you two out here."

"Bump into us?" Palutena asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh," the stranger then lamented. "Where are my manners? My name is Cereza, but you may call me Bayonetta. Don't the markings in my clothing look… familiar to you, Goddess of Light? I studied about you and your doings, so I think you might look just like people pictured you in the temple walls."

Bayonetta took one of the garments hanging loosely from her clothing, and the end displayed a moon with a small circle behind where the pointed ends meet, and there were markings on the side. Dark Pit held it in his hands while Palutena was hovering over his shoulder, observing it.

"That symbol," Palutena muttered. "I've been reading the history of humans and learned about their deepest secrets. You must be one of the last Umbra Witches left in your universe, right?"

"Umbra Witches!?" Dark Pit exclaimed. "I remember you warned me about these women, that they hunt down angels without second thoughts! We can't seriously be talking to a killer!"

"How precise you are, little raven," the Umbra Witch replied. "Ever since I woke up with no memories of my past, I still had the urges to hunt down any supernatural being with wings. Now that I made it up all the way to Skyworld, the place where no ordinary human being can get to, it'll be my greatest pleasure to exterminate you little pests." Cereza pulled the lollipop she was sucking out of her mouth, threw it onto the ground, and smashed it with her heel before grabbing the guns resting by her waist.

"I don't know what this feeling is," Bayonetta objected, "but when I come across angels that look dangerous, I have no choice but to kill."

Dark Pit grabbed his metallic bow, starring at the blue guns Cereza was flipping around with, licking her lips.

"Stay calm, Pittoo," Palutena whimpered. "After all, it's way better than having an overpowered 'Sayinian' kid (whatever you call him), or a certain fat, green ogre who by many resembles love and life… I think…"

"Thanks…" Pittoo moaned in disgust. "Now I can't get those sick, twisted images out of my head…"

"My miserable pleasure, Dark Pit," the green-haired goddess giggled. As the Subspace Army, the Underworld Army, and the Forces of Nature were closing in on them while the black-red cloud was covering more of Skyworld, Viridi shouted out from the temple, "What's taking you guys so long!? Send the signal to activate the barrier already!" The Umbra Witch saw the large swarm passing overhead, and her glasses started to glare from what remained of the sunlight at the heavens.

"Enough fun and games," Bayonetta replied. "Let's dance, boys."

As the three armies started shrieking in unholy screams, they started diving down behind the Goddess of Light and the black-winged doppelganger. Bayonetta jumped above Palutena and Dark Pit, her guns giving off radiant sheens as she pulled the triggers on both her hands and feet and started dancing in midair.

Moving gracefully like a swan, the Umbra Witch was dancing madly as the tiny bullets fired from her weapons pierced straight through the monsters. Few members of the Subspace Army, Underworld Army, and the Forces of Nature felt the magical energy melt through their skin and destroy their internal organs completely as they dropped from the sky like flies just infected with pesticide.

When Bayonetta turned around, she saw that Dark Pit and Palutena were cornered by Skuttlers and Armights.

"Dark Pit, LOOK OUT!" Palutena cried when she was that a Skuttler Mage was about to knock Pittoo unconscious, and he didn't have enough time to counteract. However, before he was hit, he felt the wind gushing upward in his face as he quickly shut his eyes and heard the monsters fleeing in terror. When Dark Pit and Palutena looked up, they saw a giant fist colored a pale purple, decorated with butterfly jewelry and covered in a thin, black lace. The fist was emerging out from a portal on the cloud, surrounded by whips of thick, black hair. When it slipped back, the two divine beings saw Bayonetta, fully naked as the hair which summoned the fist wrapped around her breasts and hips.

Once the hair transformed back into her clothes, Bayonetta giggled, "I guess I changed my mind. I don't want to hurt you two anymore."

Dark Pit felt the blood rush up to his head when he just saw what Bayonetta looked like when she summoned the fist. Any moment, he felt like he was going to pass out, but Palutena kept him up straight. "W-w-what was that?" the black angel stammered.

"Umbra Witches such as Bayonetta can summon the limbs of Infernal Demons," Palutena answered.

"Infernal Demons?" Dark Pit asked.

"Yes," the green-haired goddess replied. "When chosen, they are bound to their masters for life, becoming their shadows and aiding their help. The Umbra Witches use their hair as clothes, and it is also used to open the portal from the Land of Inferno, bringing in their Infernal Demons to aid in their fight."

"I guess that makes sense…" Pittoo muttered.

"There are several types of Infernal Demons, angel," Bayonetta said. "My main one's Madama Butterfly. But enough about that. Right now, we gotta get you two out of here and keep those monsters out of your world. The history lesson will have to continue another day."

Bumpety Bombs traveled in swarms as they rushed towards the three fighters, beeping and ready to blow up. Once they all created a massive explosion that dissolved the cloud, Bayonetta, Palutena, and Dark Pit jumped off, they were diving towards the earth face-first, looks of no fear through their expressions. Dark Pit used Pandora's powers to steady his glide, Palutena used her godlike powers to slow down her fall, and Bayonetta used the emblem hanging around her neck to transform into her Crow Within. As the three fighters were falling, Skuttler Cannoneers were firing grenades, lasers, and heat-tracking missiles, and Primids were riding on the backs of Feyeshes and Monoeyes, throwing whatever weapon they had at them.

Bayonetta in her Crow Within form dashed into the enemies' faces, clawing their multiple eyes out and blinding them that they fell to their deaths. Palutena reflected the energy projectiles blasting out, and Dark Pit went in close melee counterattacks as he stabbed the monsters repeatedly. Once the three fighters were clear, Palutena sent a powerful blue laser blasting sky-high as the signal to tell Viridi to use the All-Powerful Sky Barrier.

"Do it, Viridi!" Palutena yelled as the three allied armies flew right towards them the more they were closing in on the ground.

Once every single monster was out of Skyworld, Viridi used all the powers from her staff to bring out the barrier – a large, blue, spherical force field – surrounding the heavens. Some of the monsters tried their best to break it, but to no avail. Once the three fighters were about to prepare a rough landing in a thick forest with a now-combined army of monsters after them, Dark Pit slowed down his gliding, Palutena used her powers to parachute onto the soft, mossy ground, and Bayonetta transformed back to normal as she struck the landing.

Because the branches were thick with leaves, the monsters couldn't find the trio in the forest and gave up the search. Brushing the dust out of her hair, Palutena panted, "Nice job getting us out of here, Cereza."

"Yeah," Bayonetta replied, "if it wasn't for the fact that you're stuck with me in Arcadia forever."

As the Umbra Witch was walking off, Palutena used her staff to freeze Bayonetta in her tracks. "Not so fast," the Goddess of Light objected. "When my father Zeus was on his deathbed, I promised to look after his most-trusted creation – Pit – and I'm not going anywhere until I reunite with him. Now, we're going to look for him, and you're coming with us because you know how much we don't trust angel killers…"

Bayonetta was struggling with her feet stuck to the ground by a bluish-green light, and Dark Pit walked up to her.

"Our worlds are in a crisis, and we somehow ended up here," Pittoo then said. "If you help us look for Pit and his friends, maybe we can learn a bit more about our main enemy…"

Bayonetta took a long look at Palutena and Dark Pit, and after a brief moment of silence passed, the Umbra Witch sighed. "Okay," Cereza said. "But that doesn't mean I'm your prisoner."

With a wave of her staff, Palutena freed Bayonetta, and they were just about ready to walk off. After the Umbra Witch rubbed her now-released legs, she flipped her short hair and asked, "Okay. Which direction do we go?"

"Well," Palutena answered, "since we gods and angels can detect where a major enemy source is coming from, I'm guessing… east… I think…"

"You're not good with navigation, are you?" Pittoo moaned.

"Doesn't matter where we end up," Bayonetta replied, "as long as we follow those monsters." Pointing above the bushes, the three fighters saw the monsters that were searching for them were flying off east, the direction Palutena predicted.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dark Pit cried. "Let's go!" And so, the three fighters followed the swarm of retreating monsters through the thick forest as the black-red cloud passed overhead.


	5. Pt 5: The Tiny Boxer of Legends

The black-red cloud of the Subspace Army now covered the entire sky, turning the land of Arcadia into a realm of monsters. The metal dragons flew around, their fiery blasts spreading across mountains. The Winged Firestorm Pro was gliding its way back to the Ruins of the Ancients.

Deep in its thick steel skin, the Primids were helping the Mii Fighters bring in the items they stole from the Midair Stadium. They brought the items stuffed in a bag into the room where they kept Lucas and Charizard captive, who were both chained to a pole. Lucas had his hands cuffed in front of him, while Charizard was muzzled and restrained through iron clips.

As the items were spilling out the bag onto the floor, the Brawler Ultimate walked up to the prisoners and guards, saying, "Excellent work, Primids. We conquered the entire land of Arcadia and we now have the Smashers on the run." He pointed at the prisoners, Lucas with fear in his eyes.

"Don't worry," the Brawler Ultimate lamented. "We have plans for you. The days in which you have spent with your friends will be nothing more than a dream... Now then, we need an item count, see if everything is in order... We need them to create new Subspace Bombs and Dark Cannons by which we can power…"

One of the Primids passed the list to a Mii Gunner, which she passed to the Brawler Ultimate. Lucas was weeping silently, afraid of being kept as a hostage. "It's no use, Charizard," Lucas quietly wept. "We'll never see our friends again and they'll be in big trouble too…" The Pokémon growled, tears in his eyes as well.

"Let's see…" the Brawler Ultimate was surfing through the list when he noticed something off. Even if you couldn't make out his face, there was a sign that he was ticked off about something. "Where are they…?" he whispered. He turned straight at Lucas and Charizard and stormed right up to them.

"Where do you have them?" the Brawler Ultimate asked.

"Have what?" Lucas muttered.

"You clearly know what," the Brawler Ultimate responded in anger. "I'm talking about the ultimate power. The most powerful weapons in the multiverse, that which unlock who you truly are meant to be inside. Jewels so pure some believe they were formed out of the cores of stars, the only batteries for our bombs and cannons. The Smash Balls, where are they!?"

"I don't even know what's a Smash Ball!" Lucas cried.

"You will soon enough," The Brawler Ultimate said as he stormed out of the room. "I have no idea how, but we will drag them out..."

Just then, a Primid dropped a strange, rainbow-glowing capsule with a black figure inside, which rolled towards the Mii Fighter chieftain. When the Brawler Ultimate felt the tip of the capsule touch his leg, he jerked out of the way immediately.

 _An Assist Trophy, of course!_ Lucas thought. _Charizard and I can use this advantage out of here!_

The Primid who dropped the Assist Trophy was about to grab it, but the Brawler Ultimate said, "Be careful when you pick it up. An Assist Trophy is only activated when a fighter touches its base. Since the rules have been altered, who knows what could happen if you attempt on doing so… that thing might even destroy our ship if you're not careful."

Afterwards, the Brawler Ultimate walked out of the room. Because the Shadow Bugs were never fighters to begin with, they touched the base of the Assist Trophy and it had no effect. Even if some of the universe's logic has changed, few of the rules seem to be unaffected.

Driven by curiosity of who was trapped in there, two of the classic Primids asked the Mii Fighters through gurgling alien sounds if they would like to give it a try. However, the Mii Fighters looked puzzled and turned the Primids' offers down. Eventually, the Primids turned towards Lucas and Charizard and growled signs of pleasing.

"Sure, I guess…" Lucas spoke. "We are fighters, after all. I suppose I'll satisfy your curiousity... if you are willing to unchain us, of course."

The Primids then grabbed the keys hanging on the wall and unchained Lucas and Charizard. After Lucas was massaging his partially swollen hands and Charizard was shaking his wings, the Primids growled again in plea and pushed the Assist Trophy into Lucas's chest.

"Alrighy, since you want it so much…" Lucas spoke, grabbing the Assist Trophy and holding it high with his hand below its base. The Primids and the Mii Fighters stared in shock as particles swarmed around the base and the figure inside took shape, growing larger and adding more color through each passing second.

The figure was fully formed, in the appearance of a boxer with tanned skin, black hair, blue-green eyes, and wearing a black tank-top with green shorts, black sneakers, and light-green boxing gloves. He was only taller than Lucas by a few inches. The Mii Fighters were reaching their weapons, and the Primids stood in confusion as to what they asked for. Because Assist Trophies were only made to serve their summoners, the boxer suddenly lunged himself towards two of the Primids, knocking them out through one deadly blow.

The Mii Fighters charged towards the boxer, and the Assist Trophy charged up his punch and knocked out most of them. Those that survived the hit ran out of the room, scared of the boxer.

"Uh… Thanks, I guess," Lucas said.

"No problem," the boxer replied. "By the way, where am I?"

"High up in the air, in the Winged Firestorm Pro," Lucas answered. "You sure picked a bad time to come out and fight."

 _Attention, all unites,_ the Swordfighter Ultimate called on the ship's broadcast radio. _Two of our prisoners have escaped thanks to a couple dumbass Primids, and they're accompanied by an Assist Trophy. Please approach with extreme caution and kill on sight. We have contacted more Winged Firestorms to come in and exterminate the targets should they escape, so hold them back as best as you can._

"By the way," the boxer responded, "I'm Little Mac. And you must be…?"

"Lucas," the blond PSI boy replied while Charizard growled in excitement. "Next to me is Charizard."

"Well, looks like we're going to have to get you out of here," Little Mac said. "I don't know what's going on, but this place looks dangerous. Come on."

"No," Lucas said when he used his psychic powers to drag Little Mac to him and Charizard. "The Ultimates are going to call more Winged Firestorms if we don't destroy it first."

Lucas let Little Mac go, and Charizard growled at the boxer with determination. The three fighters ran off to the doorway to the control room, but they were stopped by Primids - both classical and newly designed - and Mii Fighters. Roturrets were firing at the door frames, but Little Mac was a very fast target hard to hit as he was tiny enough to slip through the bullets and punch underneath one of the rotating turrets. The cannonball effect created from the uppercut blow caused the Roturret to bounce all over the place, hitting enemies to and fro.

Lucas used his PK Fire once again to trap some of the Mii Fighters in pillars of flame, and Charizard flew towards the Buckots, his wings sharply cutting through their bodies. Once the three fighters got on their feet again, more Mii Fighters and Subspace troops dashed toward them.

However, Little Mac, Lucas, and Charizard wouldn't even bother looking back as they stormed up all the way through the Winged Firestorm Pro's neck, knocking out enemies with their gifted abilities. Once the three fighters got up to the control room, the Ultimates were already there, their choices of weapons ready to attack.

"There's nothing you can do now," the Gunner Ultimate said. "We'll kill you all, take the Smash Balls out of wherever you're hiding them, and Tabuu will reign supreme once again."

"I thought trophies can't die," Lucas objected. "Why are you doing this? What's going on?"

A moment of silence passed, and the Brawler Ultimate answered, "Oh, kid. There's so much more you don't know about the outside world." Suddenly, a Scope Primid shuffled in, weak after the hits it received from Little Mac, Lucas, and Charizard.

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE FIRE THAT GUN, YOU IDIOT!" the Swordfighter Ultimate exclaimed as the Scope Primid was ready to fire. Both the fighters and the Ultimates ducked out of the way when the Primid with its dying breath missed and fired at the control panel, creating a massive explosion that majorly damaged the wires. The Winged Firestorm Pro cried weakly as its metallic body was burning up in the atmosphere.

Lucas, Charizard, and Little Mac groaned when they got up, and they saw the Ultimates were already running to several escape pods. The strong wind was gushing through the cracked windows as the Gunner Ultimate yelled to the fighters, "You may have destroyed our ship, but this is only the beginning! We've got big plans coming and we don't need you getting in our way!" Just like that, the Ultimates each took their escape pods with the Mii Fighters, all blasting out to the other Winged Firestorms. Explosions were bursting around as the spare emergency pods were destroyed, trapping the fighters inside.

The metal ceiling was about to cave in on Little Mac and Lucas, but Charizard flew in, lifting it up with all its strength.

"We gotta get out of here!" Lucas cried. "There's no way out and we're trapped!"

"You know I'm not much of an air fighter, right?" Little Mac responded. "If any of those little rascals of this... 'Subspace Army' come rushing towards us while we're hundreds of feet in the air, I'll eventually become helpless."

"Don't worry," Lucas replied. "Charizard and I will help you, right?"

Charizard growled in pain as the weight was crushing his strong wings, the leaking Shadow Bugs creeping in closer, and the Winged Firestorm Pro collapsing in the air. The three fighters were now helpless, falling onto the hard ground in the mountains while Primids were falling from the sky, disintegrating into Shadow Bugs just as soon they landed on the falling rubble. Charizard swooped in, with Lucas and Little Mac landing on his back. Once the three fighters got onto ground safely, they saw the other Winged Firestorms flying off, their dragon-like bodies cruising in the black-red cloud.

"Told you I don't do so well in the air," Little Mac panted.

"Which reminds me," Lucas said. "Why don't you disappear?"

"Come again?" Little Mac asked.

"I thought Assist Trophies were supposed to disappear after they were summoned to complete their task," Lucas answered. "Unless… it must be the alternated rules of this world."

"Who knows?" Little Mac replied. "Looks like I'm stuck with you until the end of time."

"But what did the Brawler Ultimate mean when he talked about the 'Smash Balls' and their ultimate power?" Lucas questioned.

"That I don't know," Little Mac lamented. "I was put in that capsule at the beginning of this world, long forgotten until now. How am I supposed to know what a Smash Ball is?"

Lucas and Charizard looked at the strange world set before them, watching as the metallic dragons soared away to cause more havoc on the world.

"We can worry about those Smash Balls later," Lucas spoke. "Right now, we need to find out where all those Shadow Bugs came from, and who's creating them. Mr. Game & Watch was freed from Tabuu's control, so there must be some bigger force playing at hand. I guess with your strength, we can make it through this."

And so, Lucas, Charizard, and their new companion Little Mac ran off, following the Winged Firestorms off to their new location, deep in the eternal black-red darkness.


	6. Pt 6: A Soldier From Another Planet

The Falcon Flyer was soaring through the sky, burning as bright as a comet. The ship crash-landed in the plains, a deep crater where there was once soft ground now filled with uprooted flowers and sprouting trees. Peach, Bowser, Wario, Donkey Kong, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit, Marth, Ike, Meta Knight, Lucario, Jigglypuff, R.O.B., Captain Falcon, and Olimar climbed out of the rubble caused by the demolishment, shaking off whatever dirt they had on them.

"Phew," Captain Falcon said. "That was a close one. Good thing we all survived the crash, right?"

"Sure," Peach replied. "I'm just worried about everyone else, especially Mario and Luigi… where are they?"

"The only thing I'm curious about is where we are," Pit objected. "We're on the run from the Subspace Army and… they've taken over most of the land."

"Pit's right," Ike said. "We're running like cowards when we should be fighting back against what they have in store."

"But where do we go from here?" Lucario asked.

"We came in from that direction, right?" Pit answered, pointing northwest. "The rest of the group in the Wolfen Assault probably landed there, and we're bound to meet up with them if we hurry."

"What about Mario and HIS group?" Peach objected.

"That I don't know," Pit replied. "The blast scrambled up my circuits that I can't figure out where they landed."

"Pit," Meta Knight said. "You don't have circuits. R.O.B. does."

"Oh, right," Pit giggled in dumbfoundedness. "I kinda forgot. Heh-heh…"

"So," Captain Falcon spoke, "you're trying to tell us that we should head northwest like Pit said to meet up with those at the Wolfen Assault, all while looking for a thought translator to see where our friends at the Prime Ship are?"

"I guess…" Marth answered.

"Well, let's do it!" Captain Falcon exclaimed. "We're gonna go there, beat up a buncha enemies and rescue Samus!"

"You do realize Samus is strong enough to defend herself, and haven't you stopped flirting with her already?" Pit asked.

"Of course I know she's too shy to admit she has feelings for me!" Captain Falcon spoke in a boastful tone. "Now come on! Let's get going already!"

"Hold on just a minute!" Meta Knight cried out.

"What is it?" Pit asked.

"We are in very dangerous territory, and the Shadow Bugs might capture us for answers," Meta Knight replied. "It would be best if I go alone and lead them away, lest risk the lives of all of you. I'll be heading to where the large Wolfen Assault landed; the rest of you go your separate ways."

"Good luck, Meta Knight," Marth replied.

Meta Knight unfurled his cape into a pair of bat-like wings, unsheathing his Galaxia Sword and flying off into the distance. After hoping for the best from Meta Knight, the rest of the Falcon Flyer Group saw Shadow Bugs raining on the desolated plains, not forming but more of just fading the moment they touched the ground, and the fighters felt nervous being alone after ten years of peace. Little did they know in the distance, a figure that resembled some sort of peculiar ghost was watching them from a cliff, hidden by the naked eye.

 _So the day of reckoning is upon them,_ the figure spoke in a heavenly voice. _Perfect..._

* * *

Far northwest, on the only plateau in the land, the Wolfen Assault had been in a state of demolishment for quite some time. From the wreckage climbed out Luigi, Yoshi, Diddy Kong, Ganondorf, Kirby, King Dedede, Fox, Falco, Pikachu, Ness, and Sonic, brushing the dust off their wounded bodies.

"Is everyone-a okay?" Luigi cried.

"Seems like everyone's doin' fine," King Dedede answered in a stereotypical Southern accent. "Goshdang, my head..."

"Wonder where we landed," Falco spoke, looking at the strange terrain. Fox pulled out a GPS from his side pockets, the static ringing out through the small speakers.

"I can't get a good location as to where we are in Arcadia," Fox answered. "However, it looks we're stranded somewhere in the southeast. We can meet up with the rest of our pals in the meantime."

* * *

Sonic had a look of determination as he walked up to a nearby rock and rested his feet, one leg in front of the other. The blue hedgehog looked out into the black-red darkness, watching the Winged Firestorms and Shadow Bugs soar through the sky.

 _We have to end this,_ Sonic thought, hearing the commotion from the rest of the Wolfen Assault Group as they were asking who else is okay. _All I want to do is see Mario again. I really care about his safety… the safety of all of us. It looks like I'm the only one who hasn't been turned into a trophy, but it looks like my memories of my homeworld will disappear from this world soon. I've got to do something to reunite with everyone else, but… where are those in Samus's Ship?_

"And what were you talking about when we confronted the Ultimates?" Fox asked the blue hedgehog. The Star Fox mercenary knew this was a question that had bugged him back when the Miis attacked the Midair Stadium. "You said they don't remember you anymore. Care to explain what happened?" Sonic got up from his place and turned towards Fox, looking at him straight with emerald-green eyes. Out of all the fighters, Fox seemed to be the most caring. To Sonic, Fox acted more like his best friend Tails if he was a father figure rather than a sidekick.

"I've been explaining secrets to what you know and could not know, and out of all the friends I spilled gossip to you are pretty much my favorite," Sonic answered. "However, even I have secrets I don't want to bring up. Let's just say that... the Mii Fighters and I... had kinda been in a relationship. Somehow, they forgot about what I did to save their clan, and I didn't want to let them fall into despair after... what happened back at my homeworld..."

Fox held Sonic's cheek, aware of what the blue hedgehog was talking about. Even when Sonic didn't want to tell in front of the other fighters, Fox knew of the hardships he went through.

"People grow out of their guilt eventually," Fox spoke. "I think it would be better if I didn't know about what happened to your planet, or what you did on other worlds to obtain such knowledge." Sonic pulled away, his blue quills swaying behind him as he stretched in place.

"I'll be going off to find Mario and the others," Sonic told the group. "The rest of you go do your thing and try to take down the Subspace Army."

"Stay strong, rodent," Ganondorf responded. In the blink of an eye, Sonic dashed down the plateau into the woods. Fox McCloud looked back at the other fighters before he climbed his way down, already knowing a planned course.

Once the fighters all got down to the bottom of the plateau, they didn't notice another strange figure watching over them unseen. All that was revealed about this figure were two claws clinging over the edge.

"Little do they know they'll all be attacked by the serpent's fangs," the figure chuckled. "This is going to be so much fun…"

* * *

Mario slowly opened his eyes. He saw three figures he couldn't make out all because of his blurred vision. The audio coming from their speeches was almost muted, just voices he could barely hear. When he opened his eyes again, his pupils adjusted their size, and the imagery became sharper. He could at least make out the colors, mainly green, white-and-brown, and neon blue.

"…Mario?" the voice coming from the green figure called out, barely audible and fuzzy. Mario opened his eyes, this time wide open, and he regained full conscious. He saw Link, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus above his body.

"Mario, are you okay?" Link asked.

When Mario groaned as he got up, he looked around: the black-red sky drenched in eternal twilight, the wreckage of the crash-landed ship in a now-destroyed flower bed, and the replicates from the Dark Cannon still unconscious.

"What happened-a?" Mario asked.

"We're stranded far away from our friends," Zero Suit Samus answered, "no thanks to you, fatty."

"Samus!" Zelda snapped.

"It's Zero Suit Samus now, and you know it. The one inside my Power Suit has forever taken that name from me," the bounty hunter replied.

"But you shouldn't put all the blame on Mario," Zelda objected. "After all, it isn't his fault we were stranded far away from our friends!"

"But he was clearly the culprit behind keeping the secret of our friends disappearing!" Zero Suit Samus lamented.

"Just because he got involved doesn't mean it's all his doing!" Zelda objected.

The two girls started quarreling and bickering among each other over who is to blame behind all this. Link tried to break up the fight, attempting to speak up.

"YOU TWO! SHUT IT!" Link yelled, pushing the princess and the bounty hunter away. "Our replicates are waking up!"

Mario, Zelda, Link, and Zero Suit Samus were watching as Dr. Mario, Sheik, Toon Link, and Samus stirred up from their knockouts, rubbing their heads from the big impact. Once the clones stood upright, the original fighters saw that what the Ultimates said was right: they were made to kill their copies and take their places as the true originals. Toon Link started yelling and flailing his small sword around, rushing quickly towards Link.

"Lemme at him! Lemme at him!" the kid swordfighter cried, Link holding him up and away from his face. Sheik grabbed her daggers and started flailing madly like a ninja, but Zelda was using her magic to protect herself. Samus was charging up fireballs and missiles, but her attacks were all rather slow as Zero Suit Samus used her Plasma Gun and Jet Boots as she kicked the Power Suit to the ground. Mario was clasping Dr. Mario's lab coat, all while avoiding the doctor's shocking punches.

"Everyone, stop-a!" Mario yelled. Both the original fighters and their replicates calmed down with their battles. Despite being clones made from the last Dark Cannon, Dr. Mario, Sheik, Samus, and Toon Link all obeyed when Mario said stop with the fighting.

"We're stranded in one of the many uncharted territories of Arcadia," Mario said. "All of us are going to have to work together in order to survive the incoming Subspace Army and reunite with our teammates, regardless of who's at fault here. Is that understood-a!?"

The Prime Ship Group all looked at one another, deeply lost in anxiety. None of them knew what was about to happen to them, so they decided to stick for the best. The fighters all stared at each other, nervous about the long journey ahead.

"Yes, Mario," the fighters all answered politely.

"But where do we go from here?" Sheik asked. "Your friends are probably somewhere far off, and we don't know where we are…"

"We can start by following those metal dragons," Mario responded, pointing at a small cluster of them far off in the distance, burning everything as usual. The fighters all nodded, and Mario smiled.

"Let's a-go, then," Mario said. "There's no time to waste and there'll be monsters spawning soon. It's better if we look at where we are and find where our friends landed."

* * *

The group then started walking off into the thin end of the forest, where idle monsters with Mii faces were waiting for them, such as Ancient Robots and Faceberuses. There were also some signs of Subspace Army monsters too, blending in well with the Mii-faced monsters.

"We're going to have to be very careful around here…" Mario whispered. The deeper the woods got, the thicker the atmosphere became, making a single breath heavy with every take-in. Eventually, Toon Link got sleepy by the air, tugging at Link's tunic like a little kid, yawning.

"Sweet," Toon Link muttered. He ran off, his hand slipping from Link's, running over to a rather large nest. The young Hylian eventually fell asleep on some unusually large eggs, almost the size of his body.

"Toon Link!" Zelda yelled. "Get out of here!" The other fighters looked in the direction of the large nest, seeing Toon Link resting his head as a rather large creature the size of an ostrich creeped up towards him. Filled with hatred and thinking that Toon Link might do something with the eggs, the creature lunged itself at the young Hylian but was stopped dead in its tracks. Literally, when Link got in and stabbed it in the chest with his Master Sword.

When Link grabbed Toon Link and jumped out of the nest, the young Hylian woke up to find out the rest of the Prime Ship Group was surrounded by more of the bird-like creatures, each one resembling chicken-like birds colored yellow all over.

"I think they want us to leave their territory, whatever they are…" Samus said, her Power Suit readying a missile.

"Be careful, everybody," Dr. Mario replied. "I don't think we can beat these birds alone, and speaking of alone…"

The Mii-faced monsters with the Subspace Army members walked up to the bird-like creatures, their eyes glowing red with lust as the black-red darkness thundered across the sky. The monsters then rushed towards the fighters, cawing with anger. It seemed all was lost for the fighters, but just then, they heard a voice.

"Genkai wo koeru."

With the sound of that voice, a small tornado blasted inbetween the creatures, powerful enough to send all the bird-like creatures into a forced retreat. Once all the feathers caused by the tornado slowly unobstructed the view of Mario and the gang, they saw a stranger glowing an unearthly blue, facing in their direction. Once the color from his body disappeared, the stranger was revealed to have spiky blonde hair, dark purple clothing with a shoulder guard and belt, and glowing blue eyes the same color as the tornado effect he created. The fighters all looked surprised at the stranger, Link most of all.

"Thought you needed help," the stranger replied in a smooth tone. "Thanks the gods I heard your cries of help far off from the distance."

"What cries of help?" Link asked. "We didn't give any cries of help. We were just ambushed…"

"By Chocobos?" the stranger spoke. "These kinds are more aggressive than I remember..."

"No, wait," Zelda cried. "We do need your help. Just about any we come across- Wha…?"

As the black-red cloud streaked thunder from the sky, it was raining Shadow Bugs, more of which that joined to form more of the Primids, their multiple eyes glowing a bloodshed red. The stranger pulled out his unusually large and thick sword with just one hand and started to hold the blade. The Prime Ship Group watched closely as a bar somehow above the stranger's head was filling up, and he started glowing the unearthly blue once again, with the bar disappearing.

"Let's do this, babies," the stranger muttered.

The stranger started rushing towards the Primids and Mii-faced monsters, gliding like there was no gravity below him at all. Despite carrying a huge sword, the stranger managed to do a triple front-to-backflip far behind the creatures and slashed them with a powerful beam from his blade. Mario started to generate fire from the palms of his hands, running towards the Puppits and Autolances. Dr. Mario paired up with Mario, and combined Mario's fire attacks with his electricity powers, and the two of them created a powerful blast that eliminated the enemies in their path. Zero Suit Samus got on top of Samus, the woman in the Power Suit firing missiles and bombs while the bounty hunter did backflips and used her Plasma Gun and Jet Boots to fry her enemies into barbecued obliteration. Link and Toon Link simply used their arrows, boomerangs, and bombs, slashing the enemies that were close with their Master Swords. Zelda created blasts of magic, while Sheik used her Deku Nuts to "warp" to random places and catch the monsters off-guard with her jabbing daggers. Teaming up with the stranger, the group managed to chase all the monsters in the area away, no survivors of the Subspace Army.

"Whew-a!" Mario sighed.

"Thanks, Mr. uuuhhh…" Link said.

"If you wanna know my name, it's Cloud Strife, 1st-class SOLDIER," the stranger answered. "But if you like, you can call me Cloud."

"Cloud?" Zero Suit Samus asked. "What a peculiar name from someone who just saved us."

"Yes, that's my name…" Cloud replied. "Just don't question it."

"So," Mario asked. "Where you from-a?"

Silence passed through the air, the fighters staring at Cloud. The 1st-class SOLDIER sighed, responding, "I… don't really know. I never even knew where I came from or who I really was. All I remember since I got here was my name, what I was capable of, and the enemies I came across."

"Hey, we don't blame you," Link said. "We all had that problem too when we got here. The only other person we knew who didn't lose his memories yet was Sonic the Hedgehog, and he talked on and on about his and our homelands for the past ten years, building up our memories as time went by."

"How does he do that?" Cloud questioned. "Visiting your homelands and learning about your past lives?"

"What would you expect from the world's fastest living being?" Sheik answered in the form of another question.

"Anyway," Dr. Mario said. "We're trying to navigate our way back to our friends, but we're trapped in uncharted territory. We're hoping you can help us, since we notice you were stuck here too."

"Not interested," Cloud answered.

"What?" Zelda exclaimed. "We need to get back to our friends as soon as we can! There's a new war going on in Arcadia, greater than what happened ten years ago! And all you're gonna do is reject our offer for help?"

"Fine…" Cloud answered. "I'll help you. But first, we're gonna learn a little bit of ourselves, why we were brought to this hellhole..."

Mario took the picture he stowed in his overalls pocket, glancing at it. The picture was slightly worn out from the fighting and crashlanding, the marker saying "Smash Bros. 2008" barely smeared. The round plumber in red folded the picture back into his pocket and said, "We're gonna need all the help we can get. So, from now on, you're an official member of the Super Smash Brothers Club."

"A member of a small club, called 'Super Smash Brothers'?" Cloud Strife asked, his eyes glowing blue in question. The other fighters looked as Mario, Toon Link rubbing his head in confusion.

"If you want help," Cloud answered, "you're talking to the right guy. Come on. I think I might have known where your pals were last sighted. Right next to a small village, untouched by this Subspace Army, though I doubt that black-red cloud had no effect on their nice clear skies. In the meantime, we can figure out where your little guys landed, and we can go from that point on."

"So, let's go then!" Toon Link yelled. "We don't have time to waste and we gotta get those friends of yours back soon!"

Cloud looked at Link in confusion, shaking his head. "Was he always like this, so bratty, naïve, and danger-loving?" the ex-soldier asked.

"Who knows?" Link answered. "He and the others were just born from a Dark Cannon, and I have no idea how he behaves, but it's a long story. Let's get going right away."

The group, with their new companion Cloud Strife, ran off deeper into the woods, on the lookout for any monsters in their path. Deep in the trees, hidden by the thick leaves, another strange figure was spying on them, observing them. The figure was kept within the darkness, the only lights shining were their reddened sclera and green eyes with slit pupils.

"So they think they can gather everyone up in time for the final battle?" the stranger asked themselves in a soft but cunning voice. In a crystalline hand that was the color of foggy ice, some sort of pink sludge was slithering through his fingertips as though it had a mind of its own.

"I guess I'll wait until SHE strikes..." they chuckled within the sound of silence.

Without another word, the figure warped out of the darkness, disappearing from the area and never seen again... for now.


	7. Pt 7: Memories of a Distant Past

As the black-red cloud got darker above the woods, a light shower of Shadow Bugs started raining from above. A blue blur started speeding through the deep forest, the blur belonging to none other than Sonic the Hedgehog.

 _Mario, where are you?_ Sonic thought, the air blowing through his blue quills. _I need to know about all of this. I need just a sign…_

Once Sonic got the chance to stop when he saw an opening of light from within the forest, he couldn't believe his eyes. He saw half of the mountainside was demolished, making a nasty scar on the land. As the blue hedgehog zoomed downward to check it out, he noticed all the trees were black and sooty, every one of them turned upright. There was still signs of small fires and smoke, so Sonic knew the attack was just recent. As he looked out into the black-red twilight, he saw the Winged Firestorms flying off in the direction he was running towards, dropping Shadow Bugs through their latches.

As Sonic was walking through the desolation, he stopped when he noticed he almost stepped on a budding flower. The sprout was emerging out of the ashes, small and only had a couple leaves on its stem, its white flower just ready to bloom. Sonic knelt down to take a closer look, observing the small plant.

"Don't worry," Sonic told himself. "We'll make this end soon. I'm sure of it. You'll grow up to be the first and the most beautiful flower to ever survive the Subspace Apocalypse." The blue hedgehog closed his eyes, the sprout delicately held in his hands, and he shed a small tear which landed on the bud. After Sonic got up, he walked off to the southeast, with the flower just blossoming right behind him when he wasn't looking. It glowed with a faint rainbow aura, almost as if it was a sign of things to come in the near future.

* * *

As Sonic was still running through the burned forest, he saw the Shadow Bugs from earlier slowly crawling towards him. The entities clumped together, forming some sorts of monsters Sonic had never seen before. These monsters looked nothing of what he saw in his past encounters.

These kinds of monsters had long, red, tentacle-like arms with fused guns at the ends, they were supported by crimson cones with the tips inverted downward and fading into a wisp, and their faces were stretched all over their bodies, their smiles showing jagged teeth and eyes asymmetrical and uneven. Everytime they spun around, they shot deadly bullets in all directions. Eggrobos and other Badniks flew in with other Subspace Army creatures, all having one thing in common: kill Sonic.

"Let's see," Sonic muttered. "These new creatures… Howzabout I call you guys, uhhh… Triggergoplas? How you like that?" The Triggergoplas growled in giggles as they were spinning like tops for momentum, teaming up with the other creatures and robots.

Once the monsters moved in towards Sonic, the blue hedgehog zipped out of the way immediately and ended up behind them in a fraction of a second.

"Hey, fellas," Sonic said. "You're gonna have to be faster than sound to step up to my level." The monsters were caught off guard as the blue hedgehog spindashed in the form of a spiky ball, his quills so sharp they cut through the metallic skin of the Triggergoplas, leaving their peculiar bodies gushing with oil. Once Sonic got back on his feet, he was surrounded by a series of Badniks. All the blue hedgehog really did was smirk, and he picked up speed again, grabbing the robots and tossing them high into the air. Before they even started falling, Sonic jumped up and started flailing madly with his multiple punches and kicks. Once he finished beating the enemies, Sonic eventually threw both of his fists downward, creating a small explosion from the demolished bots. The minor members of the Subspace Army started running towards him but were eventually distracted by his super-fast speed and jabbing punches.

Once Sonic defeated all the robots and monsters, he wiped his forehead, panting, "That's the best you can do, huh? Pathetic." However, just when he was about to take a step faster into running southeast, he felt a shot of pain pass through his body. There was no blood on his furry skin, but Sonic was feeling the pain travel up to his head, giving him a nasty ache.

"W-what… is t-this- IT HURTS!" Sonic groaned, the pain in his head worsening. His emerald eyes started to show a gleam, flashing around in a full circle before splitting and forming into a cross off-center. Once the glare was finished, Sonic's eyes started generating a series of sparks, every one of them spreading around and causing them to give off a powerful glow. The pain overwhelmed him, and Sonic's emerald eyes were now glowing white with the blue hedgehog slightly levitating off the ground.

* * *

When Sonic regained full conscious, the blue hedgehog saw that everything was black. As he looked around, he felt like he was in a ballet of stars – each glittering entity dancing around like they were all filled with life. Sonic's eyes were watering with mixed emotions as galaxies and nebulae moved around gracefully. The blue hedgehog eventually came across a star half the size of his body. It was bright, but it was reflective enough to help him see himself with a new look, probably made from the headache. As Sonic observed his new form, he noticed he had golden irises and was giving off a rainbow hue, flowing like fire.

 _What is this place…?_ Sonic thought, his bright golden eyes filled with wonder. _What is this form I'm in? The fire doesn't seem to hurt me… Am I transported somewhere different…?_

As Sonic was looking at his new body, he felt something on his chest. There, he saw a strange gemstone shaped like a circle stuck to him, different multi-colored lights flashing around like water, and there was a black cross off-center.

 _Wow! What is that stone?_ Sonic thought again, observing how he was speaking without his lips moving. _Strange how I can talk, and my mouth doesn't open once. Oh, well. I guess I should ask someone where I am…_

As Sonic in his new form was walking around this new universe, he suddenly saw someone lying down on the unnatural ground. Filled with curiosity, the blue hedgehog walked towards the person, trying to make out the form. As he got closer, he saw the person was a girl, probably an adolescent at best. The girl looked like she was wearing a uniform, tainted and dirty with aged blood stains, some crumbling off. The uniform was all in many different shades of black, the fabric of her legs flowing twice the length of her body and thick boots right at the bottom. The uniform also wrapped around her chest, leaving her bare arms exposed and forming a big hood at the back of her neck. Her bare arms were protected by two spiny guards, each one on her naked shoulders, and her gloves infused with brass knuckles went up to her elbows. From what Sonic could figure out from her was she was a multitasker, for as he looked at the weapon laying next to her, he noticed it was a huge sword almost as long as the fabric trailing behind her legs, and it was covered with a series of guns each filled with different types of ammunition. The girl's hair was dark gray mixed fading to a rainbow again at the ends. Her face was covered with scars, she sported faint, dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were small and thin.

 _Excuse me, miss?_ Sonic tried to ask her. _Are you okay?_ However, just when Sonic tried touching her to wake her up, he felt himself clip right through her like a ghost. Sonic looked a little worried about what's happening, but he suddenly freaked out and ran a safe distance with a scared scream when he saw the tattoo on her left upper arm. It was the symbol just like of the Subspace Army – a hollow circle with a line at the middle slashing horizontally and stopping halfway.

 _Is she a member of the Subspace Army?_ Sonic asked himself. _I have to know about this…_

Just then, the girl slowly sat up, her golden eyes gently opening. She couldn't either see or hear Sonic as she got up and started looking around.

"Hello?" the girl asked, her sweet voice echoing throughout the vast area. Sonic tried answering, but to no avail.

 _I wonder what's she's doing here…_ Sonic thought. _I guess I should follow her and see where she ends up at…_

Just then, thoughts started ringing out in Sonic's head, almost as if he's actually hearing the girl talk about her life story.

 _Darkness,_ the girl began, her thoughts flowing through the blue hedgehog. _I woke up in the darkness, no memory of who I was. Ever. All I knew was that I was all alone…_

 _Am I hearing this like it's from… a memory?_ Sonic wondered. _What is going on here? I have to know. Somehow, this probably can connect to my answers…_

As Sonic followed the girl, he noticed it was like she was playing through a story. The girl was walking around, unfamiliar with her environment, admiring the dancing cosmos.

 _I was looking around, filled with joy and sadness at the same time,_ the girl's voice rang out in Sonic's head again. _It felt like I can just make a new world and start from there._

 _Suddenly, I heard a strange voice._ The girl turned around in shock when she saw something Sonic had never seen before. The strange thing looked like a new form of entity flying around, but was completely different from the Shadow Bugs, each particle in a smaller shape and black all over. The clustered swarm of particles were surrounding a strange, glowing object obstructed from everyone's view, and it was just floating like a cloud.

"Hella…" the cloud spoke, its manly voice booming out so loud it gave the dancing stars a little scare as they jerked away slightly.

 _That was the name HE gave me,_ the girl's voice rang again. _Hella…_

 _Hella, huh?_ Sonic thought. _I want to know more about this girl. Maybe she has something in common with the Subspace Army…_

"Greetings, Hella…" the cloud spoke to the girl. "Do not be afraid. You are now in the depths of my domain from now on."

"Who… who are you?" Hella asked, her voice throbbing.

"I am… the Master Core…" the cloud answered.

 _Master Core?_ Sonic asked himself. _It sounds awfully similar to Master Hand, but what do I know? It's just a memory… that I'm somehow participating in…_

"Master… Core?" Hella asked again.

"Yes," the Master Core answered. "And you have just become one of my many servants… in the land of Arcadia."

"Ar… cadia?" Hella asked again.

"It is otherwise known in the common tongue as the Land of Imagination," the Master Core answered. "A land with neverending possibilities, no limitations, and a world where the greatest of your dreams come true…"

 _I was easily tempted by the Master Core's offer,_ Hella's voice spoke again, with Sonic hearing every word. _Little did I know that by entering in his land I learned a little about a life-changing experience…_

Sonic's eyes started glowing white again, and the blue hedgehog felt himself being carried into the air.

 _Nononononono, WAIT!_ Sonic cried. _I need to know more about this! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?_

* * *

The moment Sonic opened his eyes again, he sat up in shock. His heart was quivering fast, and he was panting hard. As Sonic looked around, he noticed he was in a new area of the large forest, confused in which direction he was in. The blue hedgehog then noticed his eyes were back to their normal emerald color, his body lost the glowing rainbow fire effect, and the strange gem fused to his chest disappeared.

"Was it all a dream…?" Sonic asked. "No… no, it can't be… Hella… Master Core… what is it that ties them together… I have to find out who this Hella person is… She's the only clue I have so far…"

When Sonic the Hedgehog got up again, he didn't know which direction was southeast, so he started running around, lost in the deep woods. Every second, he ran meters of where he last ended up, and he had no idea which way was out. When Sonic got up to the top of the trees, he saw he was so far off he couldn't even find the burnt area of the forest, only the Winged Firestorms still in the direction he was going.

"I guess that's my only way of heading southeast," Sonic said to himself before jumping onto the ground. Just then, he heard the rustling of the branches and the birds flying off. When Sonic heard the noises, he felt eager and prepared for who he was about to witness. Once the blue hedgehog heard another branch snap, he dashed towards that direction, only to come to an opening and clash into a familiar face.

"HEY! Watch where you're going!" Meta Knight cried. "…Sonic? Is it… you?"

"Yeah, of course it's me," Sonic answered. "What are you doing here?"

"I predicted that the monsters will come and capture my friends, so my plan was to distract the troops and let my companions finish the mission," Meta Knight answered. "How did you get over here?"

"Well, it's a long story," Sonic lamented. "Basically, my eyes started giving off a strange glare when I was down in the burned area of the forest, they started glowing white, and I think I was having some sort of… vision… before ending up here? Could it probably be because I'm the only one unaffected by the trophy transformation after years of visiting each and every land I know?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Meta Knight objected. "What did that glare, by chance, look like?"

Sonic looked around, grabbing a small, dry twig lying on the ground. The blue hedgehog tried to remember the feeling of the glare in his eyes from before, but it was practically hard for him. Instead, he tried to remember the emblem shown on the strange gem. So, he drew a small circle, making a cross with its center to its lower right.

"Is that what the symbol looked like?" Sonic asked again. Meta Knight closely observed it, taking a long look at what Sonic drew in the ground.

"Of course…" Meta Knight mumbled. "I never thought this day would come…"

"What?" Sonic asked. "What is it? What are you talking about?"

"When you were having that vision," Meta Knight asked, "there was a high possibility there was a strange gem fused to your chest, and it looked precisely like that symbol you drew. Am I correct?"

"Yeah," Sonic answered. "It looked exactly like that. Why?"

"My spiny friend," Meta Knight spoke. "you have just been affected by a Smash Ball."

"Smash Ball!?" Sonic exclaimed. "But I thought those were an urban legend! Could... this be some effect given to me all because I'm not a trophy?"

"Seems to me that way," Meta Knight replied. "I always knew one of us will ever have the chance to get a vision, explaining how it all began, the war between light and darkness, order and chaos, peace and freedom."

"What you're trying to say is… after we get out of here, we'll find out about what I experienced in that vision?"

"Definitely," Meta Knight answered. "Now, come on. These woods are full of Tabuu's spies, and we need to get out of here before- What the-!?"

Before the two fighters could even walk out of the area, a wild Clubberskull emerged out from the bushes, growling with an ear-piercing roar.

"A Clubberskull," Meta Knight said. "It probably heard us talking about the Smash Ball and wants to kill us before we can give out any proof. Be very careful, Sonic. It's by far the most dangerous and most powerful of all the enemies in the Subspace Army and any other army it belongs to."

"Danger's my middle name, Meta," Sonic answered. "It's probably heavy, so that makes that thing rather slow to catch up. I can knock this thing out faster than you can say ''Sonic Speed!'" The blue hedgehog started spindashing, but the monster's one small eye glared with malice as it swung its huge arms faster than Sonic. As they hit the blue hedgehog like giant clubs, Sonic was rammed right into a bush with Meta Knight, the two of them climbing out and brushing off the loose twigs, leaves, and berries.

"I warned you," Meta Knight groaned. "How you feeling, buddy?"

Sonic coughed, rubbing the bruises all over his aching body, "I think I have a nasty percussion…"

As the Clubberskull crawled closer, cornering the two fighters, it was about to swing its massive arms again before it felt bullets pierce its tough flesh. The one-eyed, human heart-shaped monster looked it its left to see Bayonetta, Dark Pit, and Palutena running towards the beast.

"Finally some help came," Meta Knight said. "What took you so long?"

"We had to find our way through the dark, scary woods," Bayonetta answered. The Umbra Witch then pointed at the Clubberskull, shaking its meaty skin.

"What is that thing?" Bayonetta asked.

"A Clubberskull," Dark Pit answered.

"Yeah, basically that," Sonic too replied. "Apparently, they're one of the most powerful, if not, THE most powerful, monsters of the Subspace Army. Despite its heavy weight, it's super-fast, so be extremely careful…"

As the Clubberskull rushed towards the fighters, they all jumped out of the way, ending up behind the monster and catching it off its guard as they flew in with punches and kicks. However, the flesh was super thick and no matter what the fighters threw at him, it barely made a dent. But that "barely" just might be their one chance in victory.

"We're going to have to need a distraction," Meta Knight groaned. "The rest of us will have to keep it focused on us."

"Already on it!" Sonic exclaimed. The blue hedgehog dashed towards the Clubberskull, moving so fast that not even the monster's arms could catch him. Eventually, the beast felt Sonic start to claw through its tough flesh, and it couldn't even feel a thing because it was so tough. The Clubberskull then saw Bayonetta, Dark Pit, Palutena, and Meta Knight ready their weapons, and it started crawling towards them. Since it was moving so fast, Sonic had a hard time hanging on but grabbed on its stringy bands of tissue and continued drilling with his spindashes.

The fighters tried dodging out of the Clubberskull's path, Meta Knight teleporting to and fro, Palutena, Dark Pit, and Bayonetta firing their only projectiles at the monster. Meanwhile, Sonic was drilling deeper into its thick skin, eventually cutting through all the layers and reaching to the center. The monster had the other fighters cornered by its huge arms, ready to crush them hard into the ground. Just then, the Clubberskull froze in its stance. Meta Knight, Dark Pit, Palutena, and Bayonetta saw its only eye beginning to bulge, and Sonic emerged from its socket spindashing, leaving light-yellow juice at where the monster's eye used to be. As the beast's body fell down stone-cold, the blue hedgehog landed on his feet, shaking off whatever mucus he had on his quills.

"Looks like we proved that thing who's the fastest thing alive around here, right?" Sonic cheered. The Clubberskull's dead body was then carried off by a small cluster of Shadow Bugs, carrying the corpse off into the woods as the fighters watched it disappear into the depth of the luscious green.

"So sorry to intrude on you two cuties," Bayonetta said.

"It's nothing," Sonic replied. "From what I can gather from my travels and rumors, you must be Bayonetta, Palutena, and Dark Pit, am I correct?"

"I guess it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Sonic," Palutena answered.

"You've probably heard of Meta Knight, the Galaxia Warrior," Sonic then said, holding Meta Knight close to him. "Is that correct?"

"I'm sure we've all studied about him and his doings," Pittoo answered. "What are you two doing around here?"

"When I bumped into him," Meta Knight replied, "I heard him talk about receiving a vision because he is the only one unaffected by the amnesia effect by a trophy transformation. It could be the work of... a Smash Ball…"

"Smash Ball?" Palutena asked. "I've never heard of it before."

"Whatever it is," Meta Knight said, "we have to find out how it works, and fast. The Subspace Army can spawn out of nowhere and capture one of us, like Charizard and Lucas."

"Well," Sonic replied. "Let's just reunite with the Falcon Flyer Group in the southeast and wait for the Wolfen Assault Group to catch up. But before we do that… can I tell you what I saw in the vision?"

The fighters all sat down, and Sonic took a silent, deep breath before resting his legs as well.

"I saw… a girl," Sonic said. "She was just lying down, in a strange world filled with cosmos. She looked like a brave fighter, and she had a mark on her left upper arm which resembled closely like the Subspace Army symbol. She had no idea who she was or where she came from, just wandering around in the darkness. Then, a strange figure who called himself the Master Core appeared behind her and gave her the name Hella, told her she was in the land of Arcadia, a world beyond her dreams. The last thing I heard before I woke up was that she was about to experience a life-changing crisis…"

"Hella, huh?" Bayonetta replied. "Maybe she has something in connection with the Subspace Army, maybe even solving why this is happening…"

"We better hurry and team up with our friends," Sonic answered. "Any moment now, more monsters like that Clubberskull from before might appear out of nowhere."

"That Smash Ball is waking up," Meta Knight replied, "The one that was untouched by the magic of the Hands shall be the one to bring the others into the light…" Eventually, Sonic ran off to the southeast, but slow enough for Meta Knight, Palutena, Dark Pit, and Bayonetta to catch up, following the Winged Firestorms flying off farther southeast towards a large desert.


	8. Pt 8: The Origin of the Subspace War

The darkness seeped in as the black-red cloud rolled in the sky. Lucas with Charizard and Little Mac heard the roaring of the monsters far off from the distance, a slight look of terror in their eyes. They were just in the rocky plains of the desert mountains, on the lookout for any Subspace Army creatures.

"Wow," Lucas said. "I never knew how big the world is now…"

"It must've been the alternated rules after the defeat of this Tabuu…" Little Mac replied.

"As you know, our objective is to find out about the Smash Ball, right?" Lucas said. "The glare in our eyes signified that we might have something in common with each other, so if we hurry, we might find what we're looking for."

As the three fighters were climbing over the rocky face, Charizard suddenly picked up a strange scent. The Pokémon started growling and flew above the small mountainside. When Little Mac and Lucas saw Charizard flying, the two fighters climbed up, trying to see what Charizard found. There, the three fighters saw what appeared to an abandoned lab, the thunder from the black-red cloud flashing to show the symbol of the Subspace Army on a rather large sign.

"This place c-could be dangerous," Lucas stammered. "We have to be careful around here… Who knows what could spring up and attack us?" The blond-haired PSI boy, the Pokémon, and the small boxer walked closer to the building, they were keeping their guard up constantly, but it suddenly dropped when a strange figure warped right in front of them, startling the fighters.

The cat-like thing appeared to be black all over, three peculiar fingers on his hands, his tail fading into a bright neon orange. A strange gem was fused to his left shoulder, the same color as the tip of his tail, and his eyes were giving off a dim glow exactly the color of the Shadow Bugs.

"P-please, strange creature…" Lucas stammered, fear in his eyes. "We didn't mean any harm. We were just looking around for evidence of the Subspace Army. We'll get out of your way, if that's okay with you…"

"That's right," the stranger telepathized, "unless you want to suffer the wrath of Shadow Mewtwo…"

"Mewtwo?" Little Mac asked. "Isn't Mewtwo one of those… legendary Pokémon, whatever you call them?"

"You must be Mewtwo, right?" Lucas said. "If you have something in common with the Subspace Army, maybe you can help us."

"I'm sorry," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in answer. "My abilities lie to serving no other master but Tabuu only, and his job is to make sure I eliminate all who dare cross his path." A Shadow Bug fell out of Shadow Mewtwo's gem on his left shoulder, and the psychic Pokémon caught it before placing it back on his shoulder, where it merged with him into his black body.

"Is he some sort of…?" Little Mac asked Lucas before the blond-haired PSI boy butted in.

"Vessel for Shadow Bugs?" Lucas answered the small boxer. "Of course he is. Didn't you see the Shadow Bug fall out of him a minute ago? These little critters are parasitic, infecting a certain host and replicating inside, brainwashing them into working for their true master. The only other person we know who went through a similar situation was Mr. Game & Watch, not even knowing he was being harvested for the Shadow Bugs within him and imprisoned by Tabuu."

"Looks like someone knows their history very well for being a coward," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized, floating a little higher into the air. "Besides, I sure loved the look on your faces when you have to flee for your miserable lives."

"Wait," Lucas said. "You don't mean that…?" Just then, Lucas suddenly remembered the situation at the Ruins of the Ancients, how he and Charizard were the only ones who escaped, and the strange figures they tried to identify in the fire.

"You're one of the people who attacked us, weren't you? Back at the Ruins of the Ancients?" Lucas exclaimed, suddenly knowing the three Ultimates were probably with him at that time too.

"How precise you are, kid," the Pokémon telepathized in answer. "There's so much more you don't know about us nowadays…" Shadow Mewtwo then got on the ground, his feet barely touching as he stood right in front of the three fighters, inbetween them and the abandoned building. His orange-tipped tail whipped back and forth as his peculiar hands started creating sparks of violet-colored lightning, slowly growing larger the more force the Pokémon put in. Little Mac, Charizard, and Lucas saw what he's going to do next and readied their battle stances.

As the Shadow Ball grew as large as Shadow Mewtwo could possibly make it, the Pokémon telepathized, "Hope you can enjoy these last few seconds here, because you'll never know anything about the Subspace Army." It seemed like all hope was lost for the three fighters as the huge ball came flying towards them from the Pokémon's fingers, but a giant blue slash reflected it back at Shadow Mewtwo, slamming right into his chest with enough brute force to send him flying towards a small set of stray gas cans, creating a small explosion on impact.

Far off into the desert, Sonic, Meta Knight, Palutena, Dark Pit, and Bayonetta were running off, trying to look for a nearby Subspace base for evidence of the Smash Ball, but just when they heard a loud bang go off on their left, the blue hedgehog stopped in his tracks, looking at the smoke.

"What are you doing, idling around here for?" Meta Knight asked Sonic, tugging at the hedgehog's white glove.

"I saw a blast occur over there," Sonic answered, pointing at the smoke.

"Maybe we can find a clue about the Subspace Army," Palutena remarked. "Come on! Someone might need our help over there!" The small group of fighters then started running off towards the rocky area of the desert, a cloud of sand trailing behind them.

As the fire calmed down next to the abandoned building, Lucas, Charizard, and Little Mac got up, rubbing their bodies off the dust that flew towards them. When Shadow Mewtwo climbed out of the rubble, brushing the soot to avoid getting burned, he saw someone new as he tried adjusting his vision.

"What?" the Pokémon telepathized in question. There, he saw a blond-haired man, wearing black clothing with a red jacket, his blue eyes the same glowing color as his crimson metallic sword. Sonic, Meta Knight, Bayonetta, Palutena, and Dark Pit ran up the rocky face, just in time to see what happened.

"So, you're this Shadow Mewtwo I've heard so much about," the stranger said, his voice in a cheery British accent. "Well, as long as I, Shulk, am involved with this, no one is getting hurt."

"You don't know who you're messing with, Bionis chosen by the Monado Arts," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in humor. "Once Tabuu regains his full strength, he will rise again to recreate the Great Maze, and they will be nothing you can do to stop him."

"Try me," Shulk said, grabbing the Monado Arts by the hilt of the blade, the large circle at the base starting flashing different symbols. When Shulk picked a red symbol found in his blade, he then started glowing red, grabbing the sword with his left hand. Eventually, Sonic, Meta Knight, Palutena, Dark Pit, Bayonetta, Lucas, Little Mac, and Charizard all stood up with Shulk against Shadow Mewtwo.

"I can tell you're looking for a Smash Ball, according to an old legend," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in lamentation. "Turns out, you already found one of them, in that little blue rat." As Shadow Mewtwo said that, he pointed at Sonic, knowing he was the only one unaffected by a trophy transformation.

"Correction: it's hedgehog," Sonic objected. "If you're gonna threaten me, do it properly."

"Enough games, creature," Shulk said. "This is the Monado's power."

Shadow Mewtwo was about to release another Shadow Ball but was quickly knocked out of his guard when Little Mac came in too fast and did an uppercut punch from behind. The Pokémon started warping out of the group, firing his psychic bolts at Charizard, Meta Knight, Palutena, and Dark Pit, who were now flying towards him. Once the four fighters bolted off the ground, they flew in so quick that not even Shadow Mewtwo was able to react in time. However, one of the bolts hit Charizard before he blasted fire at the Pokémon, knocking into Dark Pit. Palutena managed to charge up her particles from her staff, and Meta Knight rushed in with powerful slashes from his blade. Shadow Mewtwo managed to use his Disable ability to make the masked warrior dizzy, but Shulk rushed just in time, glowing green thanks to the Monado Arts and jumping high enough to grab Meta and attack with a mighty slash that knocked the Pokémon onto the ground. Once Shadow Mewtwo got back up, he saw Sonic and Little Mac charging right towards him. Once they were in close, Shadow Mewtwo was about to release a powerful melee attack before they could even land a blow, but Bayonetta got in the way, using her Witch Time. Because she didn't do it fast enough, she used her Bat Within to transform into a swarm of bats, obstructing the Pokémon's view. Once Shadow Mewtwo scared the swarm off, the bats clustered back into Bayonetta's original form, and Lucas used his PK Freeze to seal Shadow Mewtwo in ice. Once Shadow Mewtwo thawed himself, he saw the fighters in front of him, charging right towards him.

"So, you think this is all a game, huh?" Shadow Mewtwo telepathized. "You haven't seen my ultimate power yet…" When the Pokémon got up, the other fighters stopped and watched as Shadow Mewtwo used the Shadow Bugs in his body to transform himself into his ultimate form: his X Mega Evolution, which was now coated purple like the Shadow Bugs with gleaming white eyes. Shadow Mewtwo then started blasting powerful psychic beams at the other fighters while they dodged and ran towards him, and he charged up his Shadow Ball, but Shulk rushed up to him in time, using his Monado Arts to use his Speed ability, and he ran almost as fast as Sonic, using a backslash behind Shadow Mewtwo, and then Sonic spin-dashed deep into the Pokémon's front. Once all the fighters ran up to Shadow Mewtwo, the Pokémon got up, brushing the dust off his body with his telekinesis.

"You may have defeated me," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized, "but that taste of power was just the beginning. Good luck trying to learn about our ruler in time, because there won't be enough…" Just like that, Shadow Mewtwo warped out of the abandoned building's area, technically resulting in a small victory for the reunited group of fighters. Once the fighters brushed the dust collected on their skin, Sonic and Meta Knight turned towards Lucas and Charizard, relieved of their survival.

"Sonic!" Lucas cried, running towards the blue hedgehog and hugging him tight, avoiding pricking himself on the quills.

"I missed you so much, buddy," Sonic wept, his eyes filled with tears of joy. Meta Knight flew in just in time, joining in with the group hug.

"How'd you escape from the Subspace Army?" Meta Knight asked, filled with relief as Charizard joined the group hug too.

"Well, it wasn't easy, but you know about how air-headed Primids nowadays are," Lucas answered.

"And what about the rest of our buddies?" Sonic asked, breaking up the group hug. "Snake, Ice Climbers, Red, the gang you went with, where are they?" Lucas looked down in shame, shaking his head and showing that he doesn't know where the others were. When the other fighters saw that some of their friends' friends were either missing or dead, they stepped in closer to understand what's going on.

"… I see…" Sonic said, knowing that even Lucas and Charizard don't know where Snake and his gang are at. "Well, we'll rescue them somehow. These buddies you met with are Little Mac and Shulk, right?"

"Yes," Shulk said, looking at the blue hedgehog in awe. "How'd you know?"

"Well, after the defeat of Dr. Eggman, I managed to find a way to travel across the universe, visiting different worlds and learning about the heroes and villains… It's a long story, basically," Sonic answered. "However, when I finally came across Master Hand, he transported me to this world, but wasn't fast enough to transform me into a trophy and wipe out my memories, and I've been on the run since."

"In other words," Meta Knight butted in, "he's the only one who was unable to turn into a trophy, and that's why he was affected by a Smash Ball."

"Smash Ball!?" Lucas said. "Where!?"

"He's not sure, kid," Bayonetta answered. "According to the little blue rodent, he experienced it somehow during some sort of certain event followed by a splitting headache. Isn't that right, Sonic? Sonic?" The blue hedgehog then looked at the building, looking at the place in stern. The blue hedgehog then rushed inside, attempting to investigate the place.

"Sonic!" Little Mac called out, trying to run to him, but Meta Knight placed a hand on his back.

"Not now, my little comrade," the small warrior objected. "It's something he has to experience for himself."

Inside the abandoned laboratory, Sonic slowly walked around, investigating the place. As he looked around, he saw only one florescent light on the ceiling was still operational and glowing but still flickering, and it was bright enough for the blue hedgehog to get a good view of the place. The checkered tiles on the floor were dazed and dirty, the splotched walls covered in muck. Every footprint that Sonic left permanently stayed in place because of the thick dust and the dead air in the laboratory. As Sonic kept walking down the hall, he saw what appeared to be an empty kitchen complete with a television set now broken, a small bathroom, and a tiny fold-up bed attached to the wall, the pillows turned inside-out with feathers sticking out and a couple springs tearing through the fabric.

 _This must be someone's house,_ Sonic thought, his hands dragging alongside the door frames. _Probably a place where you can lounge and work at the same time…_ Just then, Sonic saw a Shadow Bug on the floor. It was tiny and barely noticeable, but it was there, just at his feet. The Shadow Bug didn't seem to do anything, but Sonic noticed it was rather afraid as he took one small step and the creature backed off.

 _Strange how this Shadow Bug is alone,_ Sonic thought. _I thought all of them were evil, and they only traveled in clumps._ The Shadow Bug slowly floated and rested on Sonic's long, black nose, tickling him a little.

 _I guess this little guy isn't so bad,_ Sonic thought again. The blue hedgehog giggled as the Shadow Bug peered closer to his face, making him cry a little. Just then, the tiny purple ball of fluff flew off deep into the dark hall.

"Hey, wait up!" Sonic called. He ran fast enough to catch up to the ball in the darkness and came across a work table in another room. As he saw the Shadow Bug hover in the air, the blue hedgehog watched as it illuminated itself in a bright violet light and rest itself in a small jar. Sonic slowly placed a small-holed lid on the jar with the Shadow Bug, and the tiny fluff ball lit up brighter, giving off a faint purple glow on the walls. As Sonic looked around, he saw that the work area was filled with designs and blueprints in ways that even he can't figure out because of the strange language. They didn't even look like those machines of war were made by the Subspace Army themselves.

Almost as if they were made for a reason.

As Sonic took a small glance at the blueprints, he felt his head starting to hurt badly, almost just as bad as the incident at the burned forest. As the blue hedgehog groaned loudly, the glare in his eyes caused them to give off a white glow just like before. At that point, Sonic's eyes glowed so brightly that not even the Shadow Bug he befriended could illuminate itself to be that blinding. Giving off a loud yell of pain, Sonic collapsed again, everything going dark.

* * *

When the blue hedgehog woke up again, he saw he was giving off a rainbow-like fiery hue with golden irises and the Smash Ball fused to his chest just like before. As Sonic sharpened his vision, he looked around and saw that the only window in the room was letting in some sunlight. The Shadow Bug from before was still in its jar on the table, almost like nothing happened.

 _Strange how this is all a memory when stuff like this happens and you're still here with me,_ Sonic telepathized, just like before. _Unless you have a way of appearing in visions like I do…_ When Sonic grabbed the jar, he looked around and saw that nothing was now cluttered in the lab. The blueprints were all gone, and the place looked so clean now. When Sonic walked out of the room, he saw that no one was there, looking rather empty. As soon as Sonic walked outside the door, the sun was blinding his eyes when he looked around and saw no rocky desert. Instead, he saw a luscious field with splotches of trees here and there. Flowers the blue hedgehog had never seen before bloomed right at his feet, almost identical to the one he saw growing in the burned forest. When Sonic looked to his right, he saw a huge arena, looking exactly like the Midair Stadium. As Sonic ran towards the arena, the Shadow Bug in the jar started chirping quietly. The faint glow in the jar created a small path leading right through the arena's wall.

 _Through there?_ The blue hedgehog telepathized in question. Sonic probably assumed this is what the Shadow Bug wanted him to do, so he ran straight headfirst through the wall. Once Sonic noticed he could pass through solid objects, he clipped right through, seeing that he was in a huge crowd watching what was going on.

 _The Arcadium,_ Hella's voice rang again. _In that huge arena, there was the Master Core, the big-head boss of the place._ Sonic suddenly remembered it was a memory, where this girl named Hella was talking to him through what she experienced. As Sonic heard the voice, the Shadow Bug in the jar he was holding chirped quietly again, and the blue hedgehog saw the Master Core himself. The strange entity, simply floating like a black cloud, was at the center of the arena. Just then, the quartz bridge rolled down, and the first person who walked out was Hella.

"Behold, one of the first of my many creations, Hella," the Master Core's voice boomed out through the Arcadium as the large audience applauded in ear-splitting cheers. As Sonic saw Hella from a good distance, he noticed she looked more beautiful than when he first heard of her existence. The raven-black girl with the now-violet eyes had an expression on her face that told her she was excited about here. As Sonic watched again, he saw hundreds of thousands of what appeared to be fighters, most of them more out of place than others.

 _I was excited the first day the Arcadium was open, millions of people participating to watch us fight,_ Hella's voice rang out again in Sonic's head. _There were so many fighters here, those whose faces I can never remember, and the Master Core called them all trophies, even though I didn't know why…_

"I officially declare the Arcadium, the arena for fighters across the multiverse, open!" the Master Core echoed. As the audience cheered, Sonic and the Shadow Bug in the jar saw the sorts of fighters all down below, looking rather excited about this.

"Let the battles begin!" the Master Core boomed.

As what felt like hours passed, Sonic noticed Hella was fighting like no other warrior at her time. The stances she took, the magic she used, the way she swung her huge sword, there was no telling she did not fight like an ordinary Subspace Army member.

 _Even though I didn't have my memories,_ Hella's voice echoed in Sonic's head, _I was very skilled in my combat movement. Pummeling my enemies into oblivion and watching them get fished out of the unidentified matter below the stage, it was all rather entertaining to me, but still not enough to know what's going on, or how it could be illegal if I did my own thing..._

Once the sun started to set, Sonic walked through the arena walls to outside, seeing that the laboratory Hella was walking to was actually one of the many homes just outside the Arcadium, and each house was identified with the fighters' certain symbols, Hella's being the Subspace symbol. As Sonic the Hedgehog walked in to see what Hella was doing inside, he saw the raven-black warrior inside, the long fabric on her legs trailing behind her seat.

* * *

 _Every day,_ Hella rang out again, _I was building new inventions and wacky gadgets for my weapons, each one deadlier than the last, after receiving the materials I earned in my victories. It wasn't all just for me, but for other fighters and the Master Core himself too. The one thing I didn't know was about the situations the Master Core was going through. According to his law, no trophy is allowed to be outside their homes after sunset, for it was the hour of his own personal business._

 _Personal business?_ Sonic thought. The Smash Ball's colors projected the rainbow light like water, not even bothering Hella on her work table. The blue hedgehog looked with his golden eyes as he saw the Shadow Bug touching the side of the jar from inside, probably thinking about what happens next.

 _Little did he know that I had been waiting for this day in eons,_ Hella's voice rang out. _That night, I was going out to see what the Master Core is doing, and nothing will ever stop me._ As soon as the black-clothed warrior got up from her work desk, she grabbed her weapon and ran outside, faster than Sonic ever could run. As the blue hedgehog followed the girl, he noticed she was avoiding being spotted by the hovering robots in the air, all of them simple discs quartz-white with searching lights protruding from below them. When they passed below Sonic, they didn't see him somehow, so they didn't give off an alarm, which was lucky.

As Sonic followed Hella sneaking in, he followed her to one of the many rooms in the Arcadium, right outside the Master Core's office, which was the only room off-limits.

"I won't let a silly sign stop me," Hella whispered, slowly ripping off the warning sign off the door and sneaking in. Sonic followed her in, passing through the door. There, he saw the Master Core, gathering books and scrolls of whatever he found in the items vault. Putting them all in small steel boxes, the black cloud pushed them towards what appeared to be a Mii Fighter, probably of the female Brawler type and wearing sort-of cool gear. Sonic saw that Hella was watching from a distance, looking at the Master Core putting all her inventions and crafts in separate containers, giving them all to the Mii Fighter, which she put all of them in a special magic bag.

"Make sure that the Ancients receive this technology in time, for it is necessary to their survival," the Master Core told the Mii Brawler.

 _The Ancients?_ Sonic thought. _I thought those robots made all that technology by themselves before the Subspace Army._ The Shadow Bug in the jar Sonic was holding chirped quietly again, trying to make the blue hedgehog pay more attention to the conflict.

"Also," the Master Core boomed throughout the room, "hide all this precious knowledge in your Chamber of Secrets, deep in your city." The Mii Brawler nodded by command, putting all the books and scrolls in her magic bag before she carried it out of the office on her back. Just then, the Master Core noticed Hella was hiding this whole time behind the items.

"Hella…" the black entity boomed again. The raven-black warrior walked out of the shadows, her rainbow-tipped hair waving in front of her dark-circled purple eyes. Sonic watched in vain as he probably predicted that she might be punished without any dialogue, and the Shadow Bug creeped in closer to him in fear.

"I warned everyone to stay inside their homes after sunset," the Master Core said. "You somehow disobeyed me, and I already knew what you were doing…"

"But you just can't let us keep living like this!" Hella exclaimed in objection. "All we do is fight and fight alone, forced to battle unknown strangers we'll never meet, and all you're doing is stealing my hard work to provide for someone we don't even know is out there! Don't tell me there's nothing to stay away from! You promised me a land beyond my imagination, but this isn't the dream I was given, nor anyone's, for that matter! For once in your life, could you just open your eyes and see that this is not what WE wanted!? Why don't you let US create our OWN worlds, with whatever rules WE can dream of!?"

"HELLA!" Master Core yelled, his voice so great it shook the whole Arcadium. "Whatever I decide is not up to you. Head back to your home now. I'll be coming over first thing in the morning to transform you into a trophy, making you forget what you just experienced tonight."

Hella tried to grab the hilt of her weapon, but hesitated. Instead, she calmed herself down and slowly walked outside. The warrior passed through Sonic, making him turn towards her as she walked out the door.

 _I wanted to fight the Master Core that night,_ Hella's voice rang out again in Sonic's head, _but I remembered there were some things you can't get involved with, and it was too late._ When the blue hedgehog looked behind him to see the Master Core, he saw the black entity was focusing himself directly at him.

"You're probably wondering why this all happened," the Master Core spoke to Sonic.

 _So, wait,_ Sonic telepathized. _You can see and hear me, even though this is just a memory of someone else, like that girl._

"I am capable of many things, Sonic the Hedgehog," the Master Core spoke again, "and Hella is no exception. I already knew you wouldn't be the only one affected by a trophy transformation, allowing you to keep your memories thanks to your fast speed."

 _But why remove memories of all the other fighter's past lives?_ Sonic telepathized in question.

"It's best to not even know about all the pain and suffering they went through to become ultimate," the Master Core answered.

 _But memories are what make a part of us, probably the most important ingredient,_ Sonic telepathized in objection. _If you take that away from us, we probably won't even remember who or what we once were. Sure, it's harsh and painful, but they're memories worth remembering._

"But I always have good reasons for wiping memories from trophies," the Master Core said. "Hella, as you just saw, may be suffering by amnesia from the transformation, but that's because she should've never known about her true destiny, and you know that well too…"

 _But can you tell me why this is all happening?_ Sonic asked through telepathy. _Why I'm the only one who can see the Smash Ball inside us?_

"That's something YOU have to see for yourself," the Master Core answered. "After all, you are all just the children of a being greater than you. However, I will give you a hint: Tabuu is the one giving you these memories for a reason." Then, the Master Core disappeared from the room, leaving Sonic and the Shadow Bug in the jar alone. As soon as Sonic walked out of the empty room, he ran straight to Hella's house, where he passed through the lab's walls. When Sonic slowly peered to look inside the work room, he saw Hella, tapping on one of her unfinished projects. The warrior-slash-scientist had a look of anger and spite, jealous that she didn't have power equal to the Master Core. As she looked more at the project on her desk, her fists started clenching and her face turning red, her purple eyes gleaming bright with envy.

The blue hedgehog kept watching, the fire-like rainbow hue flowing like it was being caught in a wind, and the Shadow Bug in the jar Sonic was carrying in his hand backed up, mildly afraid. Filled with fire in her eyes, Hella yelled and knocked off her equipment in one swipe, and she grabbed the chair she was sitting on and smashing everything else like a baseball bat. After she made a huge mess of the place, she slammed her fists so hard that she broke the lab table in half, covering her hands in splinters and deep cuts. When she took a look at the desolation she caused with her melee methods alone, she placed her wounded hands in her face and started crying, her bitter weeps mixing in with her silent hiccups.

Sonic watched as she kept crying, her jealous heart growing stone-cold. As the blue hedgehog knelt beside her, he placed a hand on her back, trying to make it seem like he was actually touching her despite being able to pass through solid objects. After Hella wiped her face, she slowly got up, finally free of her fears and anxieties.

 _I wouldn't let the rules of the Master Core stop me,_ Hella's voices rang out through Sonic. _I was going to find out about myself, one way or another._ Grabbing a map stocked away in her drawers, she pulled it out, revealing the uncharted corners of Arcadia.

 _My objective was to find the Mii Fighters and find out who I really was, despite the risks,_ Hella's voice said. _However, I couldn't go alone, and none of the other fighters were brave enough to stand up to the task. So, I had to create my own companion._ As Hella put together whatever equipment she had left in her lab, she was grabbing all sorts of formulas that were in her fridge past the over-expired grub stocked deep within with small gadgets and batteries.

 _A companion that was small enough to fit in a tiny jar,_ Hella's voice rang out again through Sonic as he watched her mix different compounds together, even brushing off the dust she collected on her clothes from her first encounter of the Master Core, which had tiny particles form the black entity known as "Swarm".

 _A companion as black as the shadows which can dominate over heroes and villains alike,_ Hella's voice said, the blue hedgehog seeing the warrior piece together wires and switches, carefully connecting each gear.

 _A companion… that would call me its one true master…_ Hella's voice said again, and Sonic finally saw her extracting a little bit of her color from her purple irises with a special tiny dropper as she placed of drop if it in a jar with a small, while, woolen pom-pom and a black garden ant. Her plan was to fuse the three components into one, single form with all the other mixtures she carefully poured in the jar with measuring containers. Once Hella started the machine by pressing a few buttons on the control panel, she then flipped the largest switch she could find, which generated electricity. Since the mixtures were conductors as good as water, the electric currents passed through freely, sparking up the whole room so bright that all the florescent lights in Hella's house bursted, leaving the place a total blackout. Just then, a faint, purple light started glowing from inside the jar as Hella grabbed a flashlight by her desk and looked inside the jar. Sonic watched as her peered at what she had created.

 _A Shadow Bug,_ Hella's voice said. When Hella opened the jar, the tiny creature flew right into her face, making her giggle a bit. As the Shadow Bug hovered around her face, it started chirping quietly before landing back into her jar, which she slowly closed. When Sonic saw that the Shadow Bug was created, he looked down to the Shadow Bug he was holding in the jar and saw it was probably the same one, which probably explains why it was alone and didn't attack after all these years. When Hella grabbed her usual weapon, the huge sword with a series of guns attached to the base, she placed the jar her Shadow Bug was in in her side pocket, grabbing her map and walking outside her laboratory.

 _I was going to find out about myself,_ Hella's voice said to Sonic. _However, when I did that, I was never the same again…_ Just as soon as Hella walked outside the Arcadium's area, Sonic felt his eyes glowing white again, noticing he is probably going to be heading back to where he was before.

* * *

After Sonic woke up in shock, he noticed he was normal again, and the Shadow Bug in the jar he was carrying was still on the broken table. The blue hedgehog then grabbed the jar and walked down the dark hallway, catching up speed as he ran out of the abandoned laboratory. When he got outside, he was in the rocky desert again, with the same red-black twilight, with Lucas, Charizard, Little Mac, Meta Knight, Bayonetta, Palutena, Dark Pit, and Shulk waiting outside. Once Sonic ran up towards the other fighters, he felt like he was ready to tell them what he just experienced in another vision.

"Guys, there's something I have to tell you, and it's probably life-changing," Sonic said, placing the jar with the Shadow Bug behind his back.

"What's that?" Palutena asked the blue hedgehog, noticing the jar.

"Oh, this?" Sonic pulled out the jar with the Shadow Bug, saying, "I just found him all alone. You know how Shadow Bugs usually travel in groups and attack on sight? Well, he was rather peaceful and insisted I take him with me, so I thought I would give him the nickname 'Faker'. Y'know, because it reminded me of Shadow the Hedgehog calling me that name back at my home planet."

"Okay, we did not need to know about your encounter, just glad to see if you're okay," Meta Knight said. "Now, what did you see in that vision?"

"Well," Sonic said, "I saw the Midair Stadium was once known as the Arcadium on land, and there were hundreds of thousands of fighters not like us, and Hella was one of them. One night, she snuck into the Master Core's office, even though she clearly was not supposed to, and she saw all the recollected knowledge of the worlds they came from being taken to a city filled with Mii Fighters, and her technology for the Ancients."

"But I thought the Ancients were masters of technology before they became extinct," Palutena objected.

"Unless R.O.B. was lying to us before his cloak was burned, and for good reason," Meta Knight answered. "Go on, rodent."

"Eventually," Sonic continued, "she became whiny that the rules here aren't fair, and she was jealous that the Master Core had all this power to do whatever HE wants and not his toys, even though he clearly said this was the 'Land of Opportunities'. So, she decided to seek the Mii Fighters herself, and she eventually created the first Shadow Bug, namely Faker, in this jar." When Sonic held out the jar again, the other fighters saw the Shadow Bug floating around, suspended in the tiny jar with a small-holed lid.

"But I still don't get what was the big fuss over the Smash Ball," Lucas said. "Isn't that the key weapon to Tabuu's destruction?"

"Only one way to find out," Sonic said. "But first, we have to find it, and maybe even find out if it is worth finding or not."

"Did you find anything in that lab that could help us?" Bayonetta asked the blue hedgehog.

"Outside of this Shadow Bug?" Sonic answered. "Definitely not… oh, except for these little things…" When Sonic pulled out the blueprints from before, the other fighters pulled them open, looking at all the different gadgets labeled on the paper. They were all trying to read what the writings on the blueprints said, but they couldn't make out the language.

"This is obviously spoken in Ancient tongue," Palutena said. "There's no way we can ever find out what it says, and we don't have your R.O.B. around to read it, and even then would we not have a single thought translator around…"

"Unless we find someone who at least knows the languages of the Ancients and whatever race they come across," Sonic answered. "Even I don't know this, but across that desert, miles away from here, there's a huge city that is filled with all sorts of races… or was from what I've learned. Nowadays, this place is filled with even the harshest of the harsh, and the only living civilian might be the species capable of translating. Well, I guess your talent can be a bit pricey, considering if you're a squid-like creature, and squids are mentioned to be rather smart. I luckily visited this place before I even heard about the Subspace Army…"

"Just might be all the information we need," Lucas said. "Now, if we can find one of those civilians, we might be able to figure out what those machines and blueprints were used for…"

"Then we have no time to waste," Meta Knight said. "We have to find the rest of our friends, rescue those still under the grasp of the Subspace Army, find out about this Tabuu, and use that knowledge of why he wants ultimate power to destroy the Subspace Army once and for all. Now, let's go!" With a slightly reunited party, the group of fighters decided to have a change of plans: head west towards that new city known as Civiltatula.


	9. Pt 9: Traitors of Evil

Running across the snowy mountainside, avoiding many of the Subspace Army allies, the Falcon Flyer Group was seen running off to the northwest, hoping they can meet up with the Wolfen Assault Group and stop whatever enemy is in their path. Once they were in the clear, they stopped for a little break.

"Do you guys think Meta Knight will make it out okay?" Pit asked. "He said he should go alone, and I don't think he might be safe out there…"

"He's been studying old legends of the land ever since the Subspace Army took his ship," Lucario answered. "That's one of the many reasons why they nicknamed him 'The Lone Swordsman'."

"It just seems no matter where we go, we're never safe," Pit said. "Gee, I sure miss being with Lady Palutena in Skyworld, and my old buddy Pittoo…"

"You kept talking about them ever since you first arrived in Arcadia," Ike replied. "I'm sure your old friends would have taken care of themselves after ten years."

"Guys, do you hear something?" Captain Falcon whispered in question. When the bounty hunter heard the snow crunching from a distance, the fighters got up, readying their stances. As the sounds got closer, they were just about prepared for the worst. However, there appeared to be instead a small duck, his body all brown and his head purple. Seconds later, the duck was followed by a brown dog with black ears and nose, his collar red. When the fighters saw the duck hopping onto the dog's back, they lowered their weapons.

"Aw…" Pit said. "Isn't that adorable? A duck and a dog are the best of friends…"

"Stay back, Pit," Marth said. "They might be some random stranger's pets, and he might not like it if you go ahead and – "

"Come on, Marth," Pit objected before turning towards the duck and the dog. "What's the matter, buddies? You lost?" The angel crept in closer to the unlikely duo, the two animals walking towards Pit. As soon as the angel gently grabbed ahold of the dog's collar, the other fighters felt rather alarmed. Then, the dog started licking Pit's face, making him giggle while the duck was ruffling his feathers.

"It's alright, guys," Pit said. "These animals are friendly." Just then, Pit took a look at the golden tag on the collar. The angel took a closer look at the tag before he noticed he couldn't read.

"Ike?" Pit asked. Could you read this for me, please?" The Beorc walked over to the duck and dog, taking a good look at the words on the retriever's collar.

"That's the name you guys share, isn't it? Duck Hunt?" Ike asked. The dog and duck barked and quacked in response, and Ike probably assumed that it was their name. Just then, Ike took another look at the tag, and he said along with the description under the name, "Property of Subspace Army: return at once to avoid surrender. What does that mean, guys?"

"It could probably mean they ran away from the Subspace Army," Peach answered. "Poor things. I hope no harm happened to them. Wonder why…?" Then, Ike flipped the tag around to find out it read something else.

"What does it mean they're 'Powerful Retro Figures'?" Ike asked the other fighters again.

"Probably means that they might have some old-school, classic, 8-bit abilities," Pit answered.

"Old-school, 8-bit what?" Ike asked. Suddenly, they heard a powerful gust of wind in their direction, and the other fighters saw what appeared to be a red-orange warrior that looked much like Meta Knight, and his wings resembled that of a butterfly.

"…Meta Knight?" Lucario asked the warrior.

"Don't you fools know who I am?" the warrior responded. "I was originally known on my home planet as Galacta Knight, and thanks to the powers the Construct God has given me, I have become a more dominant figure: Morpho Knight!" Duck Hunt then started growling and quacking at the stranger, and the other fighters brought up their weapons again.

"Now, now," Morpho Knight said. "I don't want any bloodshed, especially from the Duck Hunt traitor. All I want is Meta Knight, for he had studied legends about a Smash Ball and knows about its uncharted abilities."

"Smash Ball?" Pit exclaimed in question.

"You heard me right," Morpho Knight answered. "I heard he has finally found one of them, which we need to create more Subspace Bombs and rebuild the Great Maze. In one of your friends, I presume."

"Enough games!" Marth exclaimed. "How do you know all this!? Which friend are you talking about!?"

"I swear I'm not even lying," Morpho Knight answered. "All of the Subspace Army has heard about one of the Smash Balls escaping after ten years of dormancy and has found its way into the body of the only fighter who was too fast to even be transformed into a trophy…"

"…No one can be that fast enough to outrun a trophy transformation, unless…" Captain Falcon objected. "Oh, no…"

"What?" Ike asked the bounty hunter.

"The only person who was too fast to avoid being transformed into his trophy self! Sonic the Hedgehog!" Captain Falcon answered.

"You got that right, warrior of the nine planets," Morpho Knight said. "We have finally heard about the blue rodent, and we'll do everything in our power to drag it out of his dead body and make sure you don't find out the truth."

"The Smash Ball is our only key to victory," Pit said. "If you really want to get to Sonic and Meta Knight so badly, then you'll have to go through us!"

"…Very well," Morpho Knight answered. Spreading his wings, the butterfly warrior released hypersonic waves that were so loud it made the fighters barely deaf. As the Big Blue Group clenched their ears against the soundwaves in pain, Duck Hunt tried to bury their heads in the snow because they were too sensitive to the noises. Just then, the duck and the dog were starting to generate pixels, and the pixels took shape into what appeared to be an 8-bit gunman, which he used his Western guns to shoot at Morpho Knight's wings, disabling the soundwaves. Once the fighters got up, they saw the gunman generated from Duck Hunt absorb back into the dog's body like it was nothing.

"Oh," Pit said. "Guess you really were a retro fighter…" When Duck Hunt heard the response, the duck and dog barked and quacked in praise. When the other fighters got up, they saw Morpho Knight struggling out of the deep snow, noticing he was grounded as he looked at his damaged wings.

"Suffer in damnation, you cowards!" Morpho Knight swore as he unsheathed his fiery sword and jumped into the air. The other fighters jumped into the air as they avoided the large beam that was emitted from the blade's slash. Morpho Knight got onto the ground before Marth and Ike could land a hit, and the butterfly warrior started clashing swords with the two blue-haired swordfighters, the fiery magma crystal clashing with the silver-tipped Falchion and golden-plated Ragnell. Duck Hunt then started rushing in, the dog pulling out a clay pigeon from the generating pixels and flung it into the air, flashing red symbols appearing as reticles for a strange, invisible Blaster. When Morpho Knight felt the pieces of stone fly onto his mask, he brushed off the dust and saw Marth and Ike before jumping out of the way.

Pit started flying in, firing his arrows with his metallic bow at the butterfly warrior. Then, Morpho Knight jumped into the air and charged towards the angel, but not before Pit launched himself at the warrior, splitting his bow in half into two blades and slashing Morpho Knight's mask off. The butterfly warrior, covering his face with his big gloves, turned away from the other fighters as they rushed towards him. Just then, he regenerated another mask before looking at the Big Blue Group.

"Do you think I'm through with you yet?" Morpho Knight asked. Suddenly, the butterfly warrior flew high into the air, beginning to draw in power. He started glowing red and split himself into four more copies of himself.

"He can replicate!?" Pit exclaimed. "That's so unfair!"

The Morpho Knight clones then gathered huge stones, flinging them at the other fighters. Everyone ducked out of the way, only to realize they were blocked off by what appeared to be pillars made from the rocks and the Morpho Knights jumping on top of them, ready to unleash a powerful strike.

"Everyone, destroy the rocks!" Lucario yelled, attacking the pillars. The fighters then started lashing their all at the stones before the Morpho Knights began to slash. There wasn't enough time to destroy the other three pillars as the three butterfly warrior clones hit the ground, making rocks fly everywhere before jumping into the air again. Once all the other fighters dodged the pillars, they saw the Morpho Knight that tried to break the pillar but noticed it was destroyed was trying to pull his sword out of the ground, and the other fighters started jabbing and punching him immediately like a sandbag. Once all the fighters dealt the final blow as the three clones started flying in, Morpho Knight crashed into the snow, his replicates disappearing into thin air.

"You are going to regret this day," Morpho Knight moaned, the other fighters walking towards him. "We'll find your friends and use them in unimaginable ways." The butterfly warrior then pointed towards Duck Hunt, R.O.B., Mr. Game & Watch, Bowser, and Wario. "As for the duck and dog, thanks a lot for betraying the Subspace Army, especially when you're friends with the original traitors." Getting up, Morpho Knight then unfurled his broken butterfly wings and teleported out of the area, leaving only a faint red-orange light where he last was.

"He said he's going to find Sonic and Meta Knight if it's the last thing he'll ever do," Captain Falcon said.

"Come on, then!" Pit exclaimed. "We gotta get to our friends quickly and tell them they're being hunted for this Smash Ball, whatever it is!" With Duck Hunt, the Big Blue Group continued running northwest, out of the snowy mountainside and into a deep forest.

* * *

Deep in the forest, where once was a paradise garden now stands a desolation of ashes from the Winged Firestorms. The Wolfen Assault Group journeyed deeper as they looked around, noticing there was more destruction everywhere.

"This looks terrible," Ness said. "I feel sorry for the poor creatures that didn't make the destruction out alive…"

"You're going to have to save your worries for later," Fox said. "Right now, we have to look for Sonic."

"Because you wanna tell him about leaving footprints in the ground doesn't work when you run faster than the speed of light?" Falco asked.

"No," Fox answered. "What I mean is we don't know why, but a lot of Subspace Army members are looking for him because – "

"We know, we know," Ganondorf interrupted. "Because of the fact that he's the only one outside all of us who was fast enough to avoid a trophy transformation. Do you think I don't know? You clearly remember I was first in command of the Subspace Army ten years ago. But what you didn't know was about the ones who were rejected before and are now probably in command right now…"

The fighters stopped in their tracks to understand what's going on and looked at the King of Darkness in question. "Whatever do you mean?" Falco asked.

"Sorry if I have to bore you with exposition, but I clearly remember the previous generals that were chosen to help the Ancient Minister in creating the Great Maze, back when we thought we were working for the Master Hand," Ganondorf answered. "His powers brought us here, and we were really deceived by Tabuu's given orders without even knowing it. Meta Knight was one of the trophies who was summoned because of the command of his ship. He told us that this could be the doom for us all, for he clearly knew the Master Hand would never take parts of our world for his own selfish needs, and someone else might be behind all of this. However, we only laughed in response and banished him from his ship, where he ended up in Marth and Ike's place. King Dedede knew about the situation that was going to happen and ran from us with a bag of strange looking brooches with his face on it, never to be seen again.

"There were only a few of us to be elected for command. I was chosen to organize the Ancient Minister's armies, Wario was made a bounty hunter with a trusty Dark Cannon at his side, and Bowser was made to look for the toughest in the fleet. He originally suggested the only spawn he ever had, but they had the King Koopa separated from his son for reasons unknown. Once those chosen for the original Subspace Army were picked out, everyone else was taken for use in the near future; in other words, they were immediately sent back to their homelands. One of the warriors walked up to me, determined that he should take my place."

"Any idea what this guy looked like?" Luigi asked.

"Hardly remember," Ganondorf continued, "except that he had long, silver hair and one wing sprouting from his right shoulder. His face and figure is all but a blank. He said to me, 'This is not fair, what you're doing. You are merely a reincarnation of an ancient demon long-lost in history. I am the eternal abyss, son of Loki's spawn Jenova, eldest sister of Fenrir and Leviathan. I can take control and build it up to the strongest army you have ever seen, if only you give up your place.' However, I was consumed by greed to take over Hyrule as intended, so I turned down his offer. Being rather pissed, he grabbed me by the neck, his glowing blue eyes shining through his thick locks. 'I will be in charge when you're gone,' he told me. 'The Subspace Army made their promises to bring us back one day, when the darkness falls. Every night that passes into day, the moon waits behind the land, eager for vengeance in its struggle against the light.' Then, he let me go and walked off with the rejected soldiers. I still fear the Subspace Army did keep their promises, as I noticed no one ever commands these monsters in such a way as they did."

"Sounds awfully similar to one of the guys that Lucas described," Ness said. "Did he do anything after you cast him aside?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Ganondorf answered. "The only thing he ever did was ship to us a large vessel of Smash Balls, legendary jewels fused with the powers of the stars, days after his rejection. Little did any of us know is that they have a mind of their own. They often contain memories of their creator's origin and they're really picky to call anyone's body their own vessel. They were hidden from our world and they have now found a way to communicate with us, but only through the bodies of trophies who havn't transformed into statues for ten years by one who hasn't been transformed at all."

"Sonic's the only one we know so far who hasn't been transformed into a trophy and still manages to keep his memories of our homelands and his," Fox said. "You don't probably mean he's possessed by one, do you?"

"Got that right, anthropromorphic creature," Ganondorf answered.

"Did you guys hear something?" Falco asked the group. The rustling of the trees swayed the branches above them with the black-red darkness behind the leaves. Then, the fighters saw what appeared to be a strange figure hopping back and forth, grunting with every jump. From the sounds the figure was emitting, the Wolfen Assault Group thought that that it was a woman, jumping to and fro. Once she landed on the ground right in front of the fighters, she stepped out of the shade, revealing herself. She had light-gray skin with dark-gray hair tied up in a ponytail, and she wore a blue sport bra with black yoga pants and bare feet. The other fighters saw how she looked whenever she stood upright, perfectly straight, pointing their weapons at her.

"Sorry if I arrived unnanounced," the strange woman said. "I think I'd like it better if you refer to me as the Wii Fit Trainer."

"What do you want from us?" Ganondorf asked her.

"Just for a little bit of fun," Wii Fit Trainer answered. "I'm merely a warrior forced to ally with the Subspace Army."

"Bounty hunter?" Fox asked. "You sure don't look like one, considering you're an ally from Tabuu."

"Don't be fooled by appearances," Wii Fit Trainer said. "I'm a lot stronger than I look, so don't kid yourselves. In the meantime, why don't we all relax with some hardcore exercising?"

"No one wants to fight, lady," Falco objected. "We dealt with it ten years ago. It won't happen again. All we want are just new allies to fight against Tabuu. Why don't we make a little deal?"

"Falco, are you crazy!?" Fox exclaimed. "You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Patience, Fox," Falco said. "I'll find a way to get her of our backs."

"You do realize she's right in front of us, listening to every word we say?" Ganondorf remarked.

"Of course I realize it!" Falco answered. "Don't you see I'm trying to think of something? Anyway, Wii Fit Trainer, you sick of working for Tabuu?"

The light-gray skinned woman looked at the space gang leader, thinking about the decision she was about to come to. "Um, I don't know…" she answered.

"Listen," Falco said. "We're all sick of fighting each other, over and over, attacking whatever new faces seem threatening to us. You probably know that too, after ten years in isolation in this strange land. Why don't you just take a break and fight for the better good of this world?"

"Because… they're orders that I'm supposed to follow, no questions asked," Wii Fit Trainer answered. "I can't just simply… betray the Subspace Army."

"You got problems, you take a good look, girl," Ganondorf butted in. "I was fooled by Tabuu once and betrayed by him so that I can turn into a trophy. Don't tell me there's orders to follow from that coward!"

"That's not what I really meant," Wii Fit Trainer said. "I'm doing this because I have no choice. I'll join your stupid party, but only if you stop bothering me about pointless details."

"Deal," Falco said. "You're officially part of the Wolfen Assault Gang. Our mission: reunite back with our buddies southeast and find the third group we were stranded away from."

"What's that noise?" Fox asked. The fighters heard a low, rumbling sound appearing from the distance Wii Fit Trainer was spotted at. As the wind got stronger, the fighters all looked up to see a tough-looking general hovering in the air. He was clothed in red all over with a golden skull with wings on his cap, wearing a black cape, and his pupils and irises were missing from his blank white eyes. The stranger settled his feet on the ground, clenching his fists. When all the fighters saw who they were dealing with here, they readied their stances, all except for Wii Fit Trainer.

"Major Bison, leader of Shadaloo!" Wii Fit Trainer lamented. "I was not expecting you here. Please forgive me..."

"Enough of your precious lies, traitor," M. Bison boomed. "I know what you did, and you're planning on turning your back against the Subspace Army." The general then grabbed the light-gray skinned woman by the neck, tightening his grasp. The other fighters stood up against M. Bison, but the general told them to back off.

"Please let her go," Ganondorf said. "Whether she's the enemy or not, we don't want any harm done to her."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the King of Darkness himself," M. Bison remarked. "I almost didn't even recognize that face. Remember the time when you were chosen to be in charge of organizing the Subspace Army? I remember, and every single one who lived to tell the tale…"

"Just as I feared," Ganondorf lamented. "There was a good reason why I turned away from the Subspace Army ten years ago. It was because of the fact I realized I was tricked by the Construct God. That doesn't mean I'm still getting used to having friends."

"Then you're probably rather weak," M. Bison said. "If you wish to see the Trainer alive, then you better do as I say: give me the one who has awoken the Smash Balls."

"We know who you're after," Fox said, remembering Sonic the Hedgehog. "We're not going to let you take him from us. He's the only thing we need to know about Tabuu and these Smash Balls."

"Last chance," M. Bison threatened, squeezing his fist and making Wii Fit Trainer choke. The fighters grabbed their weapons, ready to fight. "Give me the blue hedgehog or she dies."

"This seems all rather cliché, don't you think?" Falco asked. The fighters nodded in response, knowing about this rather familiar situation. "Someone makes a life-for-life deal, only to break it in the end…" When everyone stepped up to M. Bison again, Falco said, "Why should we even give up Sonic for Wii Fit Trainer? You're gonna have what you want and kill her anyway."

"Sad, but true," M. Bison chuckled. The general then tossed Wii Fit Trainer on the ground, causing her to crawl to the other fighters while catching her breath and correcting her body position. The other fighters then looked up to see M. Bison hovering in the air. Purple lightning sparked from his clenched fists as his blank white eyes looked down upon the Wolfen Assault Group.

"Now that you made it pretty obvious," M. Bison said, "I'll kill you all and look for the blue rat myself, and there will be nothing to stop me!" The other fighters then readied their weapons, challenging the red-clothed general.

"Psycho Crusher!" M. Bison yelled. He flew lower to the ground and made a forward punch with the purple sparks, but Pikachu and Yoshi managed to dodge it. Yoshi curled up into his egg form and rolled into the general, and Pikachu used Quick Attack, zipping in and out of place while leaving lines of electricity. Kirby and King Dedede then jumped into the air, with M. Bison following them high up in the air.

"Psycho Warp!" M. Bison yelled as he teleported in and out of place, a gravitational force field in the areas he appeared and disappeared out from. Kirby with his Cutter Sword created a blade beam with King Dedede throwing a Gordo, and the two of them launched several projectiles at the general. M. Bison managed to avoid them with his move but was crushed to the ground by a Gordo. Once M. Bison got up, he saw Diddy Kong, Fox, and Falco dashing and grabbing their guns.

"Headstomp!" M. Bison cried. The red-clothed general then jumped up into the air, falling headfirst straight down. Once the three animal fighters saw M. Bison falling, they managed to get off the ground, away from the falling general. Once M. Bison's head collided with the ground, he created a shockwave from the collision which spread across the forest, uprooting the smaller plants. Once all the fighters who were caught by the shockwave got up, Ganondorf, Luigi, Ness, and Wii Fit Trainer rushed towards the general, knowing that he was becoming weak from the impact.

"Psycho Punisher!" M. Bison flew up and charged a huge punch from the purple sparks in his fist. He was just about to land his most powerful hit on the fighters, but they jumped and attacked. Luigi used his Cyclone move, Wii Fit Trainer used her footbags and launched them at the general, and Ness used his PK Flash. Once the green entity hit M. Bison, the general was launched high into the air before crashing down to the ground. Before the general could even recover his strength, Ganondorf rushed in with a Warlock Punch, a move powerful enough to send M. Bison sky-high.

"This is not the end!" M. Bison cried as he blasted off, a small light flickering from the launch. The other fighters saw the Wii Fit Trainer getting up, who was cracking her spine with various poses.

"You got a little bit of forced conflict behind you, W.F.T.," Fox said. "You knew all along the enemy can't be trusted. We'll be wiped out of existence if we lose."

"Don't you think I know what happened to all those who had to surrender to Tabuu?" Wii Fit Trainer answered. "The Ancient Minister lost his people because of his negotiation with the enemy, from what I heard, and it was all Lord Ganondorf's fault they're gone."

"Listen," Ganondorf objected. "That was back when I thought I was working for the Master Hand for his promise of Hyrule, not even knowing the risk I put R.O.B.'s kind in. Forgive me if I was stubborn enough to even see the truth. When I found out I was tricked, I gave up working for the Subspace Army. Now I'm a wanted Gerudo. Didn't you hear M. Bison from before? You turned your back on them, so that means you're one of us now." The Wii Fit Trainer looked around, seeing all the new faces from the other fighters. The light-gray skinned woman then took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders.

"So, I've heard you're looking for your friends, right?" Wii Fit Trainer asked.

"Mainly Sonic," Falco answered. "He has a Smash Ball, according to Ganondorf, which means he's on the run. Most of our friends are missing, others enslaved. It good to make sure that everyone makes it out okay, even if it means to risk feeling the sun's warmth again."

"Major Bison didn't just appear out of nowhere," Wii Fit Trainer said. "He had to have had a secret base around here."

"Secret base?" Ness asked.

"Yeah," Wii Fit Trainer answered. "Ten years ago, after the first defeat of Tabuu, some members of the Subspace Army survived to create hidden areas scattered all over Arcadia. There might be a high chance some of your friends are in there."

"Then we have no time to lose," Fox said. "We gotta reunite with our friends and prepare for the final battle." The other fighters then ran off, heading north to one of the secret bases which Wii Fit Trainer described.


	10. Pt 10: The Angel with a Single Wing

Out of the woods, as the black-red cloud got darker, Mario's group was heading to the location Cloud Strife described. The original fighters and duplicates journeyed far off with the 1st-class SOLDIER, across a flat mountain range.

"Strange how it had been ten years I was stuck in this world, and only now have I found someone like me," Cloud said to Link, who was walking beside him. "I had been learning a lot about the Subspace Army, even capturing a few Primids for interrogation." Just then, Toon Link ran beside the taller Hylian, tugging at his green tunic and ready to fight whatever monster is in their path.

"Funny that some of the people you call trophies have been stuck here for this whole time and still haven't grown up," Cloud remarked.

"Well, the rules of this land are rather strange," Link answered.

"Only the Master Hand choses who really wants to change," Mario then replied. "Even we can't ask the Hand of Creation how he decides things should be done. If he likes, he can simply reverse the effect."

"So, you said you have no recollection of your homeland, Cloud," Link said. "How do you know who we'll be up against?"

"It's strange, really," Cloud answered. "However, outside of knowing my name, there's not really much I can tell you outside of the fact that my attacks are powered by Mako poisoning."

"Poisoning?" Zero Suit Samus asked. "Who or what poisoned you?"

"… Wish it was a what," Cloud answered, "but sadly, it's a who. Silver hair, sword three times as long as his own body, one giant wing sprouting out from his right shoulder, unforgiving terrorist back at my homeland, who would have guessed?"

"Lucas had been talking about these new Subspace Army members the moment he returned to the Midair Stadium," Zelda lamented. "Wonder what they all wanted before…?"

"When I met him," Cloud told the gang, "it was after I heard about the attack of the Midair Stadium. I left the village just a few miles from here, and I met him deep in the woods. There was no word of warning; he just flew towards me, his sword clashing with mine. We kept on fighting, both our bodies flying into trees and demolishing the area around us, and all I wanted was to ask him why they wanted to attack the floating arena in the first place. However, he never said anything to me and left me a note before flying off."

"Can we see it?" Mario asked the 1st-class SOLDIER.

"Sure thing," Cloud answered, reaching into his back pocket and pulling the parchment of paper out. "I read it before, and it's best that you read it for yourselves." Mario, Dr. Mario, Link, Toon Link, Zero Suit Samus, Samus, Zelda, and Sheik then unfolded the note, trying to read what it said. The result was rather confusing, as the note answered:

 _So, you really want to know what was our goal in the first place? Why only now, after ten years, we decide to attack this place once we were defeated? You're going to have to meet me in the village you took refuge in once the time is right. Until then, I can never tell you our main goal. Let's just say before, we wanted to steal your items and use them to create more Subspace Bombs. We noticed we were a few items short after our generals raided the arena, so we had to desolate the land in search of them. That's all I have to offer, except that you probably know a few things of the Master Core's origin, Cloud Strife, Hero of the planet Gaia, 1_ _st_ _-class SOLDIER._

 _\- Sephiroth_

"Is it true?" Sheik asked Cloud, who was in front of them. "That you know something about the Master Core's origin?"

"A little, yeah," Cloud answered before stopping the walk. "As I was in the village last night, I saw a strange figure that looked a lot like the Master Hand himself, except he was all wispy and ghostlike. He touched me with his forefinger, giving me some details about the Master Core, and it all had unknown origin about his birth. Since the first age of Arcadia began, the Master Core didn't make the land as you see here today. It was someone else who was in charge – Tabuu, the God of Construction."

"Tabuu!?" Mario exclaimed. "What has that monster have to do with the Master Core!?"

"Believe me," Cloud continued, "I was as shocked as you were, Mario. Turns out Tabuu was in charge of controlling the Master Core, possessing his body and preventing the black entity from taking over. Together, they became known as the Goddess of Oblivion – Ragnarokk."

"Wait," Link objected. "Why is it that two divine beings that are technically classified as male can combine their powers to become a woman?"

"Like I said," Cloud answered, "I don't know just yet about how it works. Anyway, it was believed that Ragnarokk sculpted Arcadia from modeling clay, filling it with all sorts of junk and garbage which somehow created a spark of life and – boom – the land you see here today. After the creation, Ragnarokk created all sorts of different races, from the highly intelligent Mii Fighters to the technology masters Ancients, each one uniquely different. But the most prized possessions of her domain were the ones she called her own 'trophies'. However, while the Master Core side was pleased with her hard work, the Tabuu side felt rather disappointed in her all-knowledge only used on the fun things in life, and she wanted to have order and perfection, therefore planning to create the Great Maze, a world where anyone can have their own rules. Then, yada-yada, Master Core was angry because of this, became powerful enough to split himself from Tabuu and fight against him, and destroyed the Construct God, never to be seen again."

"If the Master Core defeated Tabuu those many years ago," Zelda asked Cloud Strife, "how come he's back?"

"Well, from what I learned so far, they always come back whenever one is defeated," Cloud answered as best as he could.

"So that's why Tabuu stayed alive after all these years," Link said.

"And was also strong enough to prevent the Master Hand from fighting back and binding him in the Chains of Light," Cloud answered.

"You mean the Master Hand was… just a shell-a?" Dr. Mario asked.

"Afraid so," Cloud answered. "I'm probably one of the few fighters right now who has little to no connection with the Subspace Army and is still being hunted down for it. Speaking of which, we're just about here at the village. You can restock and heal up if you like." The fighters noticed they were almost at the village Cloud was talking about and ran up the last hill, which was hardly steep.

"Now, I gotta warn you," Cloud said. "These residents are pretty much animals. Literally. So, whatever you do, don't go hugging them and squeezing them because of how cute they are, and also-" When the other fighters looked around the village, they noticed it was empty, almost like the town was deserted.

"That's strange," Cloud Strife lamented. "The quiet little town of Smashville is awfully, erm, too quiet…" The Prime Ship Group was then looking around, noticing the village looked like ghosts invaded the area. Everything was appearing to have been knocked over and the cabinets were wide open, so it seemed like whoever lived here left in a hurry.

"This town probably has something in the area," Cloud told the others. "If you look around, be very careful, for I have a feeling that whoever or whatever chased these people off is still here." Zelda then wandered off from the group, something catching the princess's eye. She then ran off to what appeared to be a barrel stocked away in a bait shop.

"Hey, guys!" Zelda then called out to the others. "Look who I found!" Walking out of the building, the princess came out with a small figure cuddled in her arms, almost the same height as Toon Link. As she was walking to the others, the figure squirmed out of her arms, falling face-first onto the ground. The fighters then saw what appeared to be a boy with dark brown hair, a red t-shirt with a blue "1" on the front, with dark blue shorts and red sneakers, with big black irises in his eyes and a red triangle nose on his face. In his hands, he was wielding a wood-cutting axe stained with blood.

"Strange how one of the Villagers survived this catastrophe," Cloud said. "From the looks of things, it seemed like he was trying to hide while defending himself. We gotta be careful since whoever attacked should be around here." Villager then slowly stirred up, noticing he was surrounded by new faces. Grabbing his blood-stained axe, he held it by the handle with both hands, signifying the other fighters to back off.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Toon Link asked the scared boy. "You look like something was after you." As Villager tucked the axe into his pocket, he ran towards Zelda, hugging her in fear.

"Don't worry, Villager," Zelda whispered. "Whoever was after you, it's all okay. We've got your back."

"I don't think so," Cloud objected. "If Villager was fighting with that axe, then probably the stranger who's after him might be rather pissed as he has some unfinished business to attend to." Just then, the wind started shifting. The black-red cloud rolled in the sky, pushing against the rather strong gusts. When the other fighters looked up from Villager, they saw another stranger just standing there behind the now-vacant fountain.

"Just as I feared," Cloud said.

"What?" Link asked him. "Who is it?"

"It's the guy I was talking about just earlier," Cloud Strife answered. "I may not remember a whole lot, but I know this guy was a monster back at my homeland. He burned down villages, slaughtered innocent people, and attempted to take my home planet's main force to become powerful."

"You don't mean to tell us he's…" Mario objected.

"That's right," Cloud answered. "Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel."

"Correct you are, Cloud," the stranger said as he walked out of the shadows, unfurling his only raven-black wing. He was wearing battle garments of black and silver, his long hair covering his face where only his glowing blue eyes pierced the darkness in his face. He was holding his sword in his right hand, which was covered in blood, and his face and clothes were also colored red from the murdering he caused. He had a large gash on his forehead, which he was shrugging off. When Villager saw Sephiroth's face, he hid behind Zelda, cowering behind her long skirt.

"Would you look at that?" Sephiroth said. "The Hero of Gaia stands against me once more."

"I thought I killed you years ago!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Now, now," Sephiroth said. "I don't want to start a fight just yet, considering you have the only survivor in Smashville."

"Survivor?" Dr. Mario asked.

"You should have seen the looks on his old friend's faces" Sephiroth said. "It was a shame, really. You should have been here sooner to witness it." Villager then poked out from behind Zelda's dress, angry over the fact that the one-winged angel killed his friends, but Link blocked him with his Master Sword.

"I knew you would be waiting here," Cloud said. "Now tell us: what is your plan now after noticing those items were missing?"

"The answer was really simple: kill whoever is awakening them," Sephiroth answered. "We know a Smash Ball can only thrive in the body of a fighter who was not even transformed into a trophy for ten years, and have been triggered by the fastest warrior alive. I'm talking about the only fighter who was fast enough, way too fast, faster than the speed of light, to avoid getting hit by the essence of the Off-Waves."

"What do you mean the only fighter who was fast enough to escape a trophy transformation?" Cloud asked. "Everyone knows you're lying, and no one is ever fast enough to avoid their fate." Just then, Mario tapped on Cloud's back, fearing about what's to come.

"Cloud-a," Mario told the 1st-class SOLDIER, "remember when I told you about a certain someone named Sonic the Hedgehog and how he used to constantly travel the cosmos, learning everything about-a us?"

"I distinctly remember," Cloud Strife answered. "Why do you ask?"

"You haven't been seeing some blue blurs once in a while, were you?" Link asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Cloud said. "Why do you ask?"

"We're probably afraid about these-a... Smash Balls," Mario answered. "After all, if it wasn't for the fact of his super-fast speed, we would have hardly known each other."

"Which means he's the only one who has the first activated Smash Ball and knows the secrets to Tabuu's origin," Sephiroth answered.

"Why do you think you're really telling the truth about all this?" Cloud objected, turning towards the one-winged angel.

"Maybe he's right, for once," Zero Suit Samus said.

"No, I don't believe in any of this," Cloud said. Zelda and Sheik walked up to the 1st-class SOLDIER, next to his side.

"The both of us agree," Zelda answered. "The one-winged angel seems untrustworthy, even though just about everyone knows about Sonic."

"I don't think he's lying this time," Link said to Cloud.

"What does he know about the Subspace Army!?" Cloud exclaimed.

"Now, now," Sephiroth objected. "Being the first in command is rather tough, but I can assure you everyone gives me a straight answer on where to find the blue rodent. Only then will I be able to spare your lives, even though one of the survivors already hit me hard with his axe." When Villager heard about this, he stepped up, clenching his stubby fists.

"I know you're lying," Cloud said. "You're going to kill us, track down where their friend is, drag the Smash Ball out of his body, and use it to create a Subspace Bomb, where you can grab more Smash Balls and recreate the Great Maze once again. Do you really think we would give up one of our friends for 'the greater good'? What good do you even have?"

"Enough, Cloud!" Sephiroth exclaimed. "You really think I'm going to kill you like you were no use to me? You have the Master Core's origin, and the little blue rat has Tabuu's. I'm going to kill whoever's in my path, and nothing will stop me." The one-winged angel then flew high into the air, spreading his only wing wide open. The fighters then looked up, ready to fight.

"I guess it's somehow in your blood," Sephiroth said. "All you want to do is fight and fight alone, not even caring who or what you face. Luckily, there are many ways to skin a wolf." Sephiroth then rushed towards Cloud, pushing the 1st-class SOLDIER so far back his feet sank into the ground. The one-winged angel's sword was grinding against his Buster Sword, jabbing abruptly so much sparks flew out. When the other fighters rushed towards him, Cloud then held the blade with both of his hands and started charging his Limit Break. His body then was giving off a blue glow, and he used his Cross Slash move on Sephiroth, making the gash on the one-winged angel's forehead to grow even larger and launching him into a nearby house. Once Sephiroth climbed out of the rubble, he saw Link and Mario running towards him.

"You really think your friends will save you, Cloud?" Sephiroth said. "Pathetic." Generating black lightning from his hands, the one-winged angel split a path between the two fighters and caused them to jump out of the way. Sephiroth then teleported right in front of Cloud Strife, clashing swords against him. Cloud was still trying to block the fast thrusts, but Sephiroth grabbed a Black Materia and started glowing dark green-blue. With a mighty slash, the one-winged angel cut deep through Cloud's skin, causing the 1st-class SOLDIER to fall over himself. Link ran over to Cloud's side, concerned about his health.

"Cloud, you okay?" Link asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cloud answered. "I've gotten used to these deadly wounds by now." As Link watched underneath the torn clothing, he saw the gash was quickly mending itself, the blood drying up into a smaller, brown clot. Sephiroth then stepped in again, still giving off that dark green-blue hue. He unsheathed his long sword once again, sweat and dirt rolling down his silver locks. Link stepped in to defend Cloud as he stitched his clothes together, blocking the one-winged angel's attacks with his Hylian Shield. The reflective metal on Link's Master Sword gleamed as it clashed with the rusted and dull Masamune of Sephiroth's.

"I won't let you lay a hand on Cloud!" Link yelled. "You're not touching a single one of our friends!"

"Then you're a weak coward!" Sephiroth said.

"You don't know anything about us!" Link objected, still clanging swords with his opponent. Link then used his grappling hook, its claws slashing through Sephiroth's wing and dragging him down to meet with the Master Sword's blade. Link then followed with a strong kick, but Sephiroth quickly got off the ground to continue the fight. Toon Link and Villager then started running towards him despite the fact that he would kill anyone in his path whether adult or child of any gender. When the one-winged angel saw the two fighters dashing towards him, he launched powerful Black Materia at them, each one leading into short-fused blasts. Toon Link blocked the explosions with his shield while Villager pocketed them and flung them back at Sephiroth and obstructing his view. Just then, Samus and Zero Suit Samus jumped in, grabbing their guns and blasted lasers and bombs at him. Zero Suit Samus then used her Plasma Whip and lashed on Sephiroth's face, giving him a burning blister on his right upper eyelid. Samus then kicked him from behind but was hit so hard by his wing that she flew into another house, the impact demolishing the small place. Once Sephiroth teleported into the air again, he used his Jenova move, slowing down the other fighters for a short period of time. During the delay of Jenova, he then targeted Sheik launching herself at him, using Shadow Flare on her. The gravitational force drew the Sheikah survivor in before finishing with a brief explosion that launched her towards Dr. Mario. Zelda jumped into the air too and used her Nayru's Love move to reflect Sephiroth's next Shadow Flare, launching him towards the ground, where all the other fighters were waiting for him.

When the one-winged angel got up again, his grabbed his Masamune katana blade, ready to strike them with his ultimate power – the Octoslash. Glowing similar to Cloud when he used his Limit Break, the one-winged angel quickly dashed at the other fighters. They dodged out of the way just in time when Sephiroth was creating a blade tornado out of his move. Everyone then saw Cloud was clenching his stomach.

"Cloud, are you all right-a?" Mario asked. Cloud Strife was groaning in pain as he was suddenly giving off a rainbow hue. Once Cloud got up, he slowly opened his eyes, revealing what appeared to be golden irises.

"…Cloud?" Link asked him. Sephiroth then looked down to see Cloud Strife's golden eyes, looking at the gleam which flowed around the fighter's irises before leading into a cross off-center.

"Impossible!" Sephiroth said. The 1st-class SOLDIER then jumped high into the air, his eyes now glowing white, dashing towards Sephiroth with a series of slashes – the Omnislash. Locking the one-winged angel in a death stroke, Cloud used multi-elemental blades of light before following down with a mighty explosion which demolished the entire village of Smashville. Sephiroth was slammed into the ground by the blast, his body weak from the damage he was given. After the one-winged angel got up, he saw that he was defeated by the Prime Ship Group.

"Don't think you've seen the last of us," Sephiroth told Cloud Strife and the others. "The amnesia effect of the trophy transformation is wearing off, so don't get too carried away with some of your newfound memories." Just like that, the one-winged angel flew into the air, warping out of the abandoned town. A small stance of silence hovered the area, leaving the fighters in utter darkness.

"What did he mean… the amnesia effect was wearing off?" Mario asked.

"Who knows?" Zero Suit Samus answered. "Ten years have passed ever since any of us ever transformed into a trophy, so there might have been a high chance some of our memories are returning."

"But Cloud is the only one we saw so far who was somehow affected by one of these... reawakened Smash Balls, according to Sephiroth," Link objected. "And not including Sonic, Cloud could probably be the only other one out of the group who has made any encounter with the Master Hand…"

"Therefore leading to Cloud being able to harness the Smash Ball's power," Zelda said.

"Do you remember anything from your homeland, Cloud?" Sheik asked the 1st-class SOLDIER. Cloud's memory was a little hazy at first, but it was at least enough to make sense of what was going on.

"I... am trying to remember a little bit," Cloud answered. "I was an ex-mercenary who joined Avalanche, and the Buster Sword you see here was given to me by a friend named Zack Fair. I think I know a little bit more, but we'll have to wait until the right time for me to tell you. I'm going to look for a vehicle I stowed away with me I understand is of best use right now."

"Go ahead-a, Cloud," Dr. Mario said. The 1st-class SOLDIER then walked to one of the surviving houses while the other fighters sat down to rest.

"What about the little guy we picked up?" Zelda asked, pointing to Villager. "His friends are probably dead by now, and his hometown is no longer a safe place to live. Where do you think he'll stay?"

"He'll just have to go with us," Link answered.

"And about Cloud's encounter with the Master Core?" Mario asked. "I thought those that weren't even transformed into a trophy can share a body with the essence of a Smash Ball. I didn't know that it applied to fighters who were already transformed and are somehow making physical contact with the Master Hand."

"I think the Master Hand works in weird, mysterious ways," Link answered. "It's probably as though he wants all of this to happen…" Just then, Cloud Strife walked out with what appeared to be a motorcycle. The vehicle itself was coated in black with strands of gold, and the bronze engine was exposing itself through the shell.

"This baby is what I call the Fenrir," Cloud said to the other fighters. "Named after the Wolf Titan in Jarnvior, it is what I use to signify others of my bravery."

"So, what's the game plan here?" Link asked.

"We're going to have to split up," Cloud answered.

"Split up?" Zero Suit Samus objected. "Are you crazy? We've been looking for our friends in this uncharted territory ever since we crash-landed!"

"Hear me out, please," Cloud said. "The few of us are going to have to take this motorcycle while everyone else goes on without us."

"Where do you think you'll be driving us?" Zelda asked.

"We're going to look for one of these hidden Subspace lairs I heard is popping up frequently around here," Cloud answered. "We'll be searching for answers about the enemies' contact with Tabuu. Everyone else will have to go with Villager and look for your friends. You'll all have to look out for each other while we're gone."

"I'll be going with you," Link answered.

"So will I," Mario said.

"As for me," Zelda said.

"Whatever it takes to forgive those who weren't blamed for all of this," Zero Suit Samus said.

The replicates were then left with Villager to look for their friends as the other fighters got onto the Fenrir with Cloud Strife driving. Once the engine started revving, Cloud looked at the other fighters and said, "I know you guys are good deep inside, and you know that too. The effects of that Dark Cannon may have scarred you, but you'll grow out of it and fight for the safety of this world. Promise you'll look for our friends and tell us they're at least safe. Let's go, everyone. We've got some bad guys to catch." Cloud with Mario, Link, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus then drove off on the Fenrir down the flat mountainside, leaving Villager with Dr. Mario, Toon Link, Sheik, and Samus to keep going down south to look for the others.

* * *

At the now-desolated Ruins of the Ancients, the only gateway to Subspace was generating the black-red cloud, with the Winged Firestorms flying around the area. Shadow Bugs were constantly raining from the sky, creating the deformed Primids and other minor Subspace Army members. Deep in the gateway of Subspace, a world which looked similar to Arcadia thrived, except it seemed like it was just created thousands of years ago. More creatures made from Shadow Bugs thrived, and in the center of the land was a lake reflecting the faint, blue light like mercury, and in the center of it all was what appeared to be the Judgement Fortress, a black opal abomination of a castle with a green, vertically-slit pupiled eye on the side with a glowing rainbow orb on the top. Deep in the fortress, all sorts of villains and enemies alike were living inside the walls, and Sephiroth managed to seek refuge in there. The one-winged angel was watching the Shadow Bugs drag in the remains of the Winged Firestorm Pro into the throne room, which was in the rooftop of the fortress's orb. The purple entities then surrounded themselves around the golden-scarred, blue-coated dragon, breathing life back into it's metallic body. The monster's eyes then started flashing again, unfurling its wings to reveal scars mended together by the Shadow Bugs all over itself before walking off to take flight into the skies once again.

"It's almost time to create the perfect world, Tabuu," Sephiroth said. "All we need is to make sure every single fighter is here as prisoners, and then we can rebuild the Great Maze once more." Just then, Morpho Knight, M. Bison, and Shadow Mewtwo warped in the room. When Sephiroth sensed they were coming, he turned toward the three generals.

"So you finally made it," Sephiroth said to them. "I was worried you weren't even going to return from your missions. So tell me, have you found that infamous hedgehog yet?"

"No, but some of our soldiers turned our backs against us," Morpho Knight answered.

"Especially those that needed to serve in order to spare their kind," M. Bison said.

"I gave you strict orders to find the blue rat, and all I got were betrayal messages," Sephiroth told the others as he walked towards them. "As if they were anything important!"

"I did find who we are looking for," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized. The one-winged angel walked toward the legendary Pokémon, anxious about their possible victory.

"However, some of his new companions were in the way," Shadow Mewtwo objected. "They were all powerful, but Sonic had the only visible Smash Ball which made him even stronger."

"You know very well you would never let his friends stop you from your goal," Sephiroth said in anger. "My encounter with Cloud is one of the many proofs that the trophy effect is returning some of their memories, making sure that more of the Smash Balls are stirring from their dormant sleep."

"Maybe that's the reason why," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in answer. "The reason why the Subspace Army was defeated in the first place. The reason why I was kidnapped to be the parent of Shadow Bugs." Sephiroth looked at him in confusion, suddenly remembering that he's fighting back against his restrains.

"You will never win," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized. Out of anger, Sephiroth then punched the Pokémon in the face. The one-winged angel then unsheathed his long sword and grabbed Shadow Mewtwo by the neck. He was about to stab him until the Mii Fighters walked into the room.

"Put. Him. Down." That was what the Sword Ultimate said to Sephiroth. When the one-winged angel heard the order, he threw Shadow Mewtwo to the ground, forcing the Pokémon to start heavily panting.

"His memories are returning," Sephiroth told the Ultimates. "Any moment now, he'll cast away the Shadow Bugs who possessed his body, and the Subspace Army will slowly be wiped out to extinction."

"Then make sure he stays alive and prevent him from losing that crystal on his left shoulder," the Gunner Ultimate said. "It may not be as powerful as a normal Shadow Synergy Stone, but it's the only thing we need to keep these monsters thriving." Two Mii Brawlers then grabbed violet-glowing rope, lassoing Shadow Mewtwo in place. Placed under bondage, the magic rope prevented Shadow Mewtwo from warping out as a Mii Gunner walked up to him, holding what looked like a special taser coated a dark gray. Once the black sparks touched the crystal on his left arm, Shadow Mewtwo was crying in pain, violet veins glowing through his black body where the Shadow Synergy Stone was emitting the brightest. After Shadow Mewtwo shed his tears of agony, he then fell unconscious, when the Mii Fighters then untied him and dragged him away.

"There are some things you don't know about this world, Sephiroth," the Brawler Ultimate said. "Even if you are first in command of the Subspace Army, WE are in charge of creating the world Tabuu planned."

"But do you even know why you're serving him? Is it out of pity you're doing this?" Sephiroth asked the three Ultimates. Slightly offended by that question, the three commanders then walked off without answering, leaving the Mii Fighters in the room. Sephiroth then looked at the end of the throne room, where he came across a small crystal ball sitting on an ebony pillar. Blue light was swarming around behind the glass, reflecting the walls off like water.

"The day of Arcadia's end is upon us," Sephiroth said. "All we need to do is make sure that the fighters of this world never realize they're already ahold of the Smash Balls."

"Then go out and send your best soldiers," the voice from inside said to the one-winged angel. It sounded almost like Tabuu's voice, keeping himself hidden behind the foggy glass with only his wings shining through.

"This Great Maze needs to be completed in time before the seraphim arrive," Tabuu's voice continued. "They will do whatever it takes to keep myself separated from... _her_..." Just then, two strange figures in the darkness walked in behind Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth," one of the figures said, his voice sounding deep and slightly robotic. "The prisoners you ordered to bring in?"

"Yes?" Sephiroth asked. "What about them? This better not be any bad news."

"Sorry to tell you this, but they're bad," the other figure spoke out, his voice sounding a little hoarse as he leaned forward in what appeared to be his transportation vehicle. "They escaped. Every single one of them."

"WHAT!?" Sephiroth yelled, unsheathing his katana. Some of the Mii Fighters in the room were scared of the outburst coming from the one-winged angel that they backed away from the area.

"Despite how crazy this sounds, the fighters we managed to capture somehow escaped when we were least expecting it," the stranger with a strange red gem attached to his chest said. "They burned one of the outside prison buildings, and the Ultimates are severely wounded. I just hope their offspring hear about this in time..."

"Then don't just stand there," Sephiroth commanded. "Dead or alive, go after the fighters and bring them all here!"

"Yes, Sephiroth," the stranger with the red gem responded. Once he teleported out of the throne room, the only other figure with the transportation vehicle stayed behind.

"But, what about me?" the kid asked. Sephiroth then walked up to him, putting away his katana blade.

"You're pretty much too young to go on a journey this dangerous," Sephiroth answered.

"No, I'm not!" the boy complained. "I polluted islands and helped my dad take over galaxies!"

"Yes, I know that," Sephiroth answered. "Until you can see you papa again, you'll have to stay behind. In the meantime, why don't you go and have a little fun?"

"What kind of fun?" the kid asked, his face still in the shadows.

"You know about the Comet Observatory, right?" Sephiroth asked. "Why don't you take one of the Winged Firestorms and shoot it down? Once you do that, you can meet up with the Subspace Army in Civiltatula. Would you do that for your father?"

"You know me," the kid cackled like a little imp. "Of course I will…" The figure then drove off in his transportation vehicle, leaving Sephiroth in the room all alone. The one-winged angel took a good look at a few Mii Fighters who were doing experiments on a female Mii Brawler. One of the Miis poured some strange liquid down her throat, which she coughed out once the entire vial was empty. She started making noises from her mouth, which was unheard before, and the Mii Fighters surrounding her were happy of a mission accomplished.

"More Mii Fighters are getting their voices back from a recent antidote," Sephiroth told himself. "Wonder if they have retained their memories of Arcus..."


	11. Pt 11: The Death of the Ultimates

*hours ago

Darkness.

That was all that Snake saw as he was adjusting his eyesight. As he was looking around, his vision was becoming a little less blurry. Opening his eyes a little bit more, the soldier noticed he was resting on a hard prison bed, which was creaking the more the springs supported his weight. The room was a dark gray, and the only florescent light was flickering. When Snake tried to get up and look around, he noticed that his hands couldn't move.

"…The hell…?" Snake mumbled to himself when he felt like his arms were aching. Then, as he looked down onto his chest, he noticed his hands were tied behind his back. He was under hostage.

"Great," Snake groaned. "I'm stuck as a prisoner for who knows how long…" Just then, the only steel door in the room started to open. Sephiroth then walked in to greet his new guest.

"Why, if it isn't the mercenary of the Big Boss," the one-winged angel chuckled. "How are you enjoying your hospitality?"

"Well, I'd enjoy it a little bit more if you release me from these bondages," Snake answered.

"There is a good reason why we decided to keep you like this," Sephiroth said. "To prevent people like you escaping."

"You think something like this would stop me?" Snake answered. Just then, out of annoyance, the one-winged angel grabbed the soldier by the neck, his glowing blue eyes glaring madly at him.

"You wanna get some sleep, buddy?" Snake teased. "You don't look so good after all this bloodshed…"

"Any moment now," Sephiroth objected, "we'll be taking all of you into Tabuu's lair, where you will serve him for all eternity. And do you DARE think insults will anger me more?"

"…Maybe," Snake smirked. Just like that, Sephiroth grabbed a leash and collar and clipped it around Snake's neck, linking him to the bed post. Then, the one-winged angel took out a gag and placed it in Snake's mouth.

"This'll shut you up for a while," Sephiroth said as Snake was struggling with the bondages, his muffles slightly muted. Afterwards, Sephiroth warped out of the room, slamming the door in front of Snake.

Struggling with the tight ropes, Snake started to sneak into one of the back pockets behind his belt. As his hands were adjusting to the bondages, the soldier pulled out a swiss army knife, switching into the blade and rubbing it against the ropes.

 _First rule if you're ever going to capture someone,_ Snake thought, _always empty their pockets first._ Smiling underneath the gag, he managed to remove the ropes off his hands. He then started to cut off the ropes surrounding his upper arms, clip off the collar around his neck, and strip off his gag. After massaging his hands, Snake put the knife back in his pocket, looking around the room for a way out.

"Why do I even need this thing…?" Snake mumbled to himself as he removed the eyepatch and tossed it onto the stone-cold floor. As he looked on the ceiling next to the flickering light, he saw the vent was big enough for him to squeeze through and crawl his way out of here. Snake then jumped off the hard prison bed, knocking the nails out of the vent and opening a hole. Once the soldier was at the right altitude and launch, he climbed in, crawling out of here. Once he felt like he was at the right spot out of the room, he grabbed his GPS, trying to get a good view on how to get out of this prison. Once he came across another vent, he kicked it down and jumped through. Before he knew it, he was out of his cell and in the hallway.

"The rest of my buddies have got to be here somewhere," Snake said to himself. He then started walking down the hallway, checking through all the windows and attempting to save whoever's trapped. However, as he was busting down the doors, Snake saw that all the prisoners that were in here before all died of either starvation, thirst, torture, loneliness, insanity, suicide from hopelessness, or all at once.

 _Gee,_ Snake thought. _I hope none of my friends don't go through those scenarios…_ Once Snake busted down another door, he saw Popo and Nana – the Ice Climbers – sitting in the only large stool in the room, chained back-to-back with cold-proof links, each bouncing small ice balls as their only entertainment. Just then, they heard a loud snap, and the chains that held them in placed loosened. Once they looked towards the door, they saw Snake freed them from their prison, holding thick pliers in his hands.

"Thought you could use a little help," Snake said.

"What about Red and the two Pokémon?" Nana asked.

"And Wolf?" Popo chimed in.

"We'll be rescuing the rest of the gang soon enough, don't you worry," Snake answered. The soldier and the Ice Climbers then ran out of the room, trying to look for the rest of the hostages. Just then, the fighters heard the Pokémon Trainer's voice, almost as if he's crying for help.

"That almost sounds like…" Popo muttered.

"Come on, kids," Snake interrupted. "Who's up for a rescue mission?"

The small group ran towards the direction the cries for help were calling from, and they managed to find him just in time. There, Snake and the Ice Climbers saw the Pokémon Trainer cuffed in shackles with his hands in front of his chest, being pushed around by the mutant Primids holding cattle prods, with Ivysaur and Squirtle trapped in special element-proof containers carried by the cowardly Poppants.

"Please," Red cried. "Don't hurt my Pokémon! They're all I have!" The Primids kept zapping him anyway, while the Poppants were becoming more afraid of the torturing and starting to run away with Ivysaur and Squirtle. Just then, Snake and the Ice Climbers jumped in, delivering deadly punches and kicks along with icy hammer swings, knocking out all the Primids in the room. Popo and Nana used their ice powers to break off the shackles on Red. Snake then noticed the Poppants running off from the fight and used his bazooka, killing the fearful monsters. The blast was enough to make the containers roll towards the fighters. The Pokémon Trainer then opened the containers with the press of a button, and Ivysaur and Squirtle jumped out. Red then grabbed his Pokéballs, and the two Pokémon were drawn inside before they shrank down into his pocket.

"Where's Wolf, by the way?" Snake asked Red. "Have you seen him?"

"Of course, I have," Red answered. "I saw him carried of by the Mii Fighters down the dark side of the prison. We gotta go rescue him!" The accompanied fighters then ran off to where they heard painful howls.

Dragged on a leash and muzzled, the Mii Fighters were dragging Wolf O' Donnell into some sort of electric cage. As he was growling in anger, he was cussing a lot at the peculiar-looking warriors, struggling to break free. Just then, Ivysaur started unleashing some sort of sleeping powder behind them that put the Mii Fighters into a deep sleep. When Wolf noticed what's happening, he held his breath until the air cleared. The recruited team then ran towards him, detaching his muzzle and leash. Once the anamorphic pilot got up, he brushed off whatever dust he had on him.

"I could have done it myself, thank you," Wolf resounded.

"You were in pain," Snake answered. "We had to do something."

"Why not just kill the bastards as usual?" Wolf objected.

"There's something we haven't figured out about the Mii Fighters," Snake answered. "Until then, we're trying our best to not kill every Mii Fighter we come across." Suddenly, the fighters heard more cries of pain from deep down in the prison.

"Sounds like someone's here with us," Red said.

"Then let's go and rescue whoever needs our help," Snake answered. The fighters then ran off towards the screams of agony, where they found the three Ultimates in front of a small group of Mii Fighters dressed in black with a white "M" on their chests. In front of them were two devices: one that looked like a capsule with a strange, small creature generating electricity from the inside which looked like Pikachu but different; the other was some sort of table with a young boy in a green tunic and dirty blond hair with a steel sword and a wooden shield that closely resembled Link attached to it.

"Now, I'm sure many of you are familiar with the matter at hand," the Brawler Ultimate spoke. "These two particular fighters are rather special."

"AS you can see," the Gunner Ultimate spoke, petting the container with the small creature, "we used to have two generators with these kinds of cuties scattered over Arcadia so we can generate power for the Subspace Army in two locations at once. The moment we lost power from one of the creatures, the moment we thought all hope was lost, until we discovered this thing is so strong with electrical charges that it can even hurt itself. For a short test of how much, we'll be testing it on this young boy here…" The kid was squirming with the cuffs, trying to break loose.

"When we used the last Dark Cannon," the Swordfighter Ultimate said, "we were expecting it to create more than one kind of replica. Turns out we were right the moment we abducted him out of sight."

"You monsters!" the boy yelled while trying to bust off the table. "Someone will look for me, and you'll be in big trouble!"

"The only problem was it hopefully worked for one of the clones, but definitely not for the other," the Gunner Ultimate replied. "Which is why we were hoping the young Pokémon's electricity could power up the table to make the young boy more powerful than any other kid in this land and one of us." Snake and the others were hiding during the conversation, hearing everything.

"Geez," Snake whispered, "every word they said does not sound good…"

"We gotta find a way to free them, and fast," Wolf responded as quietly as he could.

"We're going to have to distract them and free the two prisoners," Snake answered. "Now, Red will bring out Ivysaur and Squirtle and make them fire at the Mii Fighters. Meanwhile, Wolf and the Ice Climbers are going to-"

"Over there!" the Brawler Ultimate exclaimed, suddenly noticing the fighters in their hiding spots. The Mii Fighters readied their stances, locking onto the small group.

"Or we could just use Plan B," Snake scoffed, readying his rocket launcher and firing at the enemies. There was a huge blast, and both the Ultimates and the Mii Fighters went off flying. Once the smoke cleared, the fighters ran towards the captives. Wolf clawed through the glass on the container, breaking the tiny mouse-like creature free. Meanwhile, Squirtle and Ivysaur were helping Snake pick at the cuffs that kept the young boy held in place. After the two prisoners were free, they noticed they were looking at some new faces.

"…Pichu?" Red said in question as the small Pokémon bounced in joy.

"Thanks for saving us, guys," the young boy said. "We didn't get the chance to use our new abilities, I think…"

"Don't mention it, kid," Snake responded. "By the way, you have a name?"

"Link…" the boy responded.

"Link, huh?" Wolf said. "Well, we already have one Link back in Arcadia, but you kinda look like the younger self of him."

"Why don't we just call you 'Young Link'?" Popo asked.

"I really haven't met this other Link yet, but since you like that name so much I guess it's okay," Young Link answered. "By the way, do you know where we are?"

"Yeah," the Pokémon Trainer answered. "We're somewhere in a prison just outside the gateways to Subspace. Our original goal was to study the last Subspace Bomb further and learn more about Tabuu, but apparently, we're their captives. Now, we're planning to reunite with Charizard, Lucas, and all of our other friends."

"Do you mind if we join you?" Young Link asked while Pichu bounced in glee. "We've been waiting for a way out of here." Just then, the three Ultimates walked in, their cloaks covered in soot and small flames surrounding their cloaks.

"Where do you think you're going?" the Gunner Ultimate asked.

"We're getting out of here," Snake answered. "Somewhere where you will never reach us."

"I think that can be arranged," the Swordfighter Ultimate objected before pulling out his sword from his right shoulder. He then started rushing towards Snake as his first target, but Wolf O' Donnell jumped in the way as sacrifice. Once the Swordfighter Ultimate noticed he didn't hit Snake, he looked down on the ground to look at WHO he hit. There, the fighters and the Ultimates saw Wolf clenching his left eye, a small gush of blood leaking out and dripping onto his knuckles.

"…My eye… Ow… My eye…" Wolf moaned. When the other fighters ran towards him for comfort, they were shocked when they saw a nasty, vertical slash on Wolf's left eye, the scar now red all over as what remained now became a blank white stained pink. The anamorphic pilot was trying to get up, but the pain that permanently blinded his eye was far too great. After the other fighters started carrying him, the Ultimates were ready for another strike and called in more of the Fighting Mii Team.

"The prisoners are getting away!" the Gunner Ultimate ordered. "Get them!" Once the Mii Fighters were catching up to the fleeing prisoners who had a limping fighter slowly losing blood, Snake and the Ice Climbers started firing bullets and ice crystals from their weapons, killing some of the enemies. When the fighters felt like they lost the Fighting Mii Team down the long hallway towards the exit, Wolf started crawling into a corner comforted by Pichu. Snake then pulled out a spare eyepatch he kept in his pocket and a small melder powered by electricity, pinning Wolf in place.

"I need you to hold his muzzle," Snake said to Young Link. "This is going to hurt a bit, Wolf, so you have to keep as quiet as you can. Okay?" Wolf nodded. Then, Snake carefully placed the eyepatch on Wolf's critically damaged eye, which was losing more blood through each passing second, and started zapping it with the electricity melder in hopes the eyepatch would fuse to the skin and prevent the blood from escaping. It was getting painful for Wolf, but he tried holding in his howls as his muzzle was clamped shut. The Pokémon Trainer suddenly noticed the Mii Fighters were hearing the muffled cries and figured out where they're heading next.

"Are you done yet?" Nana asked Snake.

"Almost," Snake answered. "Repairing wounds takes time, and I learned it the hard way from the military. Almost done, and… there. Good as new." Once Snake put the melder back in his pocket, Wolf suddenly felt that the pain was gone, and replaced with his left eye was a black patch and two long pieces covering the scar. After Wolf got up, he started firing his blaster at the incoming Mii Fighters while running towards the exit with the others. Once they were outside the door, they looked around, noticing the Ruins of the Ancients was now left in complete chaos: where the black-red cloud covering all of Arcadia was at its darkest, where what remained of a great past civilization was now left in rubble, and Winged Firestorms dominated the skies. In front of the exit were a series of fighter jets, laid in perfect formation.

"Okay, guys," Snake told everyone in the group, "I'm gonna be blowing up every jet in the area except for the one we are taking. Once Wolf starts up the engine, we make a run for it." After the fighters all picked a certain jet, Snake started laying a C4 on each other jet, making sure he got every one of them. Once he was done sticking the bomb onto the last one, he started running towards the fighters, but suddenly felt a sharp blast on the side of his stomach. Snake was clenching his side, noticing he was scraped with a small burn from what felt like a plasma blast. Looking towards the exit, the fighters saw the three Ultimates waiting for them, the orange-armed fighter with the arm cannon reloading her ammo.

"Give it up already!" the Brawler Ultimate ordered. "It's game over for you. For all of you."

"Tabuu and his servants have heard the news of the Smash Ball and are willing to find and kill whoever has the only visible one, or else more will appear out of nowhere and damn us all!" the Swordfighter Ultimate said. "We have constructed a special type of machine that can read the long-lost memories of a trophy. With that thing, we can use it on any fighter to know the secrets of their past, especially the treasures they're possessed by. All we have to is find the fastest thing alive, for we've understood the tales of his escape from the Master Hand, and I'm pretty sure you've figured out about the Smash Ball thriving in the bodies of fighters who have never been transformed…"

"Looks like they're onto Sonic the Hedgehog," Red told the group.

"And I thought they mentioned dragging them out of our dead bodies, with the only visible one slowly bringing the others into the light," Popo replied.

"Then we gotta get out of here, and fast!" Young Link exclaimed. The Ultimates then started walking towards the fighters as they were getting into the jet and starting it up.

"What the hell are you waiting for!?" Wolf yelled as the Ultimates then started picking up the pace and running. "Press the damn button already, Snake!" Once the soldier saw the jet was hovering off the ground, he pressed the trigger, and the C4's all went off. The Ultimates were caught in the blast, and the jet was powerful enough to hold itself in place until the explosion cleared. When the smoke was departing, the fighters saw the cloaks the Ultimates were wearing burned off, along with their thought translators, revealing them to be Mii Fighters themselves. For the Brawler Ultimate, he had a red body color with black hair with short tuffs sticking out on the right side of his head, black eyes, and black eyebrows. The Swordfighter Ultimate had a dark-blue body color with blond hair that parted in half, blue eyes, and golden eyebrows. As for the Gunner Ultimate, she had an orange body color with brown-ginger hair that seemed to split at the center of the head, black eyes with long eyelashes, and brown-ginger eyebrows.

"Looks like we're going to be having a fight, are we?" Snake smirked. The Pokémon Trainer on top of the jet then sent out Ivysaur and Squirtle, with Wolf, Pichu, Young Link, and the Ice Climbers walking to their side. The three Ultimates Revealed then rushed towards the fighters, with the Brawler unleashing a heavy shot put, the Swordfighter releasing a small tornado, and the Gunner shooting plasma blasts. Wolf and Snake jumped out of the way, firing their all at the approaching Ultimates Revealed. The Brawler then lunged himself towards Pichu, but the tiny Pokémon zipped out of the way just in time. Pichu then started charging up his electric attacks, electrocuting both the Ultimate Revealed and himself. Nana was cornered by the Swordfighter, using her ice powers to freeze him in place. Then, Popo came from behind and started whacking the Ultimate Revealed from behind with his hammer. Young Link was trying to block the Gunner's missiles and charge shots with his Deku Shield. When the Ultimate Revealed left an opening, the Hylian kid then unleashed his flurry of attacks from his Kokiri Sword, launching her towards Squirtle as he crawled into his shell and flung himself, knocking her back. Ivysaur used his vines and wrapped the three Ultimates Revealed, strangling them in place, as Snake started launching his bombs at the Ultimates Revealed.

Now scarred and bruised, the Ultimates Revealed were slowly trying to get up as the prison was now set up in flames from the explosion by the jets. With their last ounce of strength, the Ultimates Revealed were running towards the fighters who were now heading to the remaining jet and put Ivysaur + Squirtle, Popo + Nana, and Pichu in a headlock. With looks on their faces threatening the other fighters to back off, Red then called back his Pokémon with the Pokéballs. Pichu and the Ice Climbers then squirmed out of the Mii Fighters' grasps, pushing the weak enemies aside and heading back to the jet. Once the Ultimates Revealed saw the fighters were getting away, they watched as the jet was ready to depart. They were just about ready to run towards and kill the last fighters on the ground but were suddenly critically attacked themselves – Wolf at the Brawler, in which the anamorphic pilot used his claws and fangs and started mauling the Ultimate Revealed; Young Link at the Swordfighter, when he used his Kokiri Sword and stabbed the Ultimate Revealed in the stomach; Snake at the Gunner, after he fired his gun at the Ultimate Revealed's chest.

"You don't know who you're messing with," Snake said to the now-dying Ultimates Revealed. "We are the Super Smash Brothers." Snake, Wolf, and Young Link then jumped onto the jet, where Red with his hidden Pokémon, Nana + Popo, and Pichu were waiting for them. After the fighters flew off in the jet, avoiding all contact with the Winged Firestorms, the Mii Fighters from before were running to the takeoff pad only to find the Ultimates were badly wounded. With terrified looks on their faces, the warriors then started carrying their leaders away from the burning fire as the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 flew in and carried the Mii Fighters and the Ultimates into the gateway of Subspace.

*hours later

Sephiroth was in the technology room where they kept whatever technology remained of the Ancients, watching as the mutated Primids were building a new contraption for creating the Great Maze again. As he was looking at the busy monsters, a small, female Mii Brawler walked in with a sad look on her face. Of course, the Mii Fighters couldn't say anything for somehow being autistic.

"What is it this time?" Sephiroth asked. The Mii Fighter took out a notepad and pencil and started writing. When she was done, she presented it to the one-winged angel, and the notepad read, "It's about the Ultimates. They're passing away. It's crucial you tell this to their children at once urgently."

"Ah, yes," Sephiroth said. "The sons and daughter of the Ultimates. I'll tell them right away." The one-winged angel warped out of the room, leaving raven-black feathers in his trace.

Just outside the Judgement Fortress, three Mii Fighters were sitting next to the mercury lake, admiring their reflections. They were the children of the Ultimates. The Mii Brawler was the son of the Brawler Ultimate, and he had a red uniform, light-tan skin with long black hair, a slightly angled-down mouth, and eyes and eyebrows black and close together. The Mii Swordfighter was the Swordfighter Ultimate's only child, and he had a dark-blue uniform, light skin with short blond hair waving into little tuffs in different angles, blue eyes, and blond eyebrows. The Mii Gunner was the Gunner Ultimate's daughter, having a yellow uniform, light skin with long, dark yellow hair, hazel eyes with a small, round nose and a slightly angled-up mouth with a small, visible lower lip shape, and dark yellow eyebrows.

"This world is so beautiful," the Mii Brawler said. "Too bad Arcadia is not as bright and vivid as this. What a shame…"

"This world is supposed to look like Arcadia thousands of years ago," the Mii Gunner answered. "Tabuu said it just doesn't feel the same without something from the Master Core's world, so he hopes on finding the Smash Ball and recreating the Great Maze again."

"Man, wish we could go out and look for those who have been affected by the blue blur himself," the Mii Swordfighter rebutted.

"Mii Swordfighter," the Mii Gunner objected, "Mommy told me that I'm not ready. I'm quite positive the Mii Brawler's dad said the same thing to him when he was growing up, and I think your father has told you so as well. When they see we're capable of defending ourselves, then there's a high chance we'll survive in the dangers of Arcadia. I mean, we've traveled across both worlds most of the time we spent with the Ultimates, our parents…"

"Guys," the Mii Brawler said to the other two Mii Fighters. "Sephiroth's coming." As the one-winged angel walked towards the three young warriors, he had a look of bad news on his face.

"I'm afraid I have to tell you pranksters something important," Sephiroth told the Mii Fighters. "It's about each of your single parents. Hours ago, they were wounded by the prisoners who escaped earlier."

"How bad is it?" the Mii Brawler asked, each one of the Mii Fighters scared.

"Critical," Sephiroth answered. "There's no chance they'll survive…" Noticing the endangerment of the Ultimates, the Mii Fighters ran into the Judgement Fortress, worried, with Sephiroth walking behind them. Heading into the Judgement Fortress's hospital room deep underneath the mercury lake, the Mii Fighters with Sephiroth saw their parents in medical beds, each one of them with burns and deadly wounds.

Shocked by how the Ultimates looked, the Mii Fighters ran towards their fathers and mother, all of their followers terribly sad. Shadow Mewtwo warped in, alarmed by the news, followed by M. Bison and Morpho Knight. The stranger in the shadows was also in the same room, the red gem on his chest the only thing visible in the dark. The Mii Fighters went to their parents, holding their weak hands.

"How did this happen?" Sephiroth asked the Brawler Ultimate Revealed. Slowly turning his head, the Mii Fighter tried saying something, but remembered that they had no voices and the thought translator was the only thing they communicated with. So, through sign language, the Brawler Ultimate Revealed told the Subspace Army bosses about how the attack happened.

"They'll pay for this," the Mii Brawler wept. "You can't leave us like this…"

"We're not ready to serve Tabuu," the Mii Swordfighter replied. "This is a big burden we have to carry… Please, you can't go…"

"How could anyone ever let this happen?" the Mii Gunner said. "We're too young to become rulers of a nation…" The three children of the Ultimates started hugging their single parents, tears in their eyes. As time passed by, the heart rate monitors started beeping slower, eventually ending in one long noise, and the Ultimates died in their children's arms. Realizing the terrible truth, the Mii Fighters began to cry, with the followers lowering their heads in loss and mourning.

"The Ultimates are dead," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in sadness. "They lived for a good cause: to carry out the deeds of Tabuu and retrieve the pieces of the Master Core's world." The Mii Fighters were then outside on the fortress's only balcony after a few minutes before the funeral even began, weeping in agony. Their tears were dropping from the height, absorbed by the mercury lake down below. Sephiroth slowly walked in, hoping he could give out some comfort of a senseful human being.

"I know what it feels like… to lose a loved one," Sephiroth said, sitting down next to the Mii Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner. "And I think it's right that they should be avenged in some way. Your parents told me years after your birth and experimentational success of bringing back the Mii Fighter's long-lost voices that I would make sure you deserve to rule righteously. The Ultimates knew one day you three would replace them. You're all never too young to carry such a big weight on your shoulders." The Mii Brawler turned his head towards Sephiroth, hugging him deeply in shame and fault. The Mii Swordfighter and the Mii Gunner joined in, trying to be comforted by the one-winged angel.

"There, there," Sephiroth said. "Let it all out. I was sad too that your parents died, but I knew that one day you'll do something to end all this." The Mii Fighters broke the hug, wiping away their tears.

"Is there a way? To honor what they did for all of us?" the Mii Swordfighter asked, each one of the Mii Fighters with looks of determination on their faces. "To finish what the Ultimates started and rebuild the Great Maze?"

"There is a way," Sephiroth answered. "However, if you're going to do it, you'll have to trust me. Otherwise, it could spell doom for both you three and your kind, just like how R.O.B. and the Ancients suffered."

"First things first," the Mii Gunner replied, "we're going to have some new uniforms made. Not exactly like the past Ultimates, but something to honor their deaths and future vengeance."

"That would probably take a few hours until your new uniforms are made," Sephiroth objected.

"Then we'll just use one of the contraptions you were making before," the Mii Brawler answered. "What was it you were building?" Sephiroth then took in the Mii Fighters to the research room, where the Primids were working on the new weapons of the Subspace Army.

"These machines were originally planned for the first invasion," Sephiroth told the Mii Fighters. "However, they were long lost into history, but we managed to recover copies of them." The stranger with the red gem appeared in front of the one-winged angel and the Ultimates's children.

"I'm sure you three remember Infinite, the one of the few warriors who teamed up with me during the explosion of the last Subspace Bomb," Sephiroth said. The stranger was revealed as another anamorphic creature in the form of a jackal found in Sonic's world with the red glowing gem with black spirals swirling around on his chest, his body was black with white, jagged spikes on his long hair and tail, with metallic boots and a mask with black spirals in his ears, and his left eye was gleaming red with a yellow iris.

"Of course we remember," the Mii Brawler said. "He teamed up with Shadow Mewtwo to help power the Ancient's corpses to toggle the Subspace Bomb."

"Yes," Sephiroth answered. "The Phantom Ruby and the Shadow Synergy Stone working together can create unbelievable things, like reanimate lost limbs and cause them to function well. Both of them alone are incredible, like the Phantom Ruby of this world to create virtual warriors and the Shadow Synergy Stone to replicate the Shadow Bugs, but they're unstoppable together, as we'll be channeling their powers to bring back one of our long-lost friends with the device we were making before. However, the machine has a one-time use, so make the resurrection count for someone who won't fail us warming our enemies up."

"Then let's get cracking," the Mii Gunner replied. "We don't have much time to waste. And we're hoping afterwards to create long-lost voices for the rest of our kind…" Walking up to the resurrection device, Sephiroth with the Mii Fighters watched as Shadow Mewtwo and Infinite were strapped down with the Shadow Synergy Stone and the Phantom Ruby attached to wires.

"Processing resurrection device," the Subspace computer spoke. "Scanning for warriors from a dated… ten years ago." As Sephiroth and the Mii Fighters watched, they saw the list of the bosses that used to work for the Subspace Army.

"The list includes Petey Piranha, Rayquaza, Porky Minch, Galleom, Duon, and Ridley," the Subspace computer spoke. The mutated Primids were waiting for a certain selection to be made by the Mii Fighters, and Sephiroth was patiently waiting for an answer.

"Be careful who you choose," Sephiroth whispered to them. "One screwup will have all the blame put on you." The Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner were thinking carefully one who to choose in this one-time decision.

"We pick… Ridley," the Mii Brawler said.

"Ridley selected," the Subspace computer said. As the monitors showed, Ridley was highlighted with a white outline, signifying he was picked.

"Why Ridley?" Sephiroth asked.

"He was the only fighter outside all of the others to almost kill the Super Smash Brothers," the Mii Gunner answered. "He has his own unique style and would be perfect if he would rise once again. Because of this, we pick Ridley."

"Ridley it is," Sephiroth said. "Wise decision." Once the Primids selected Ridley, the computer monitors showcased Ridley being constructed and a progress bar on the side. The machines then started powering up, collecting some of Infinite's and Shadow Mewtwo's powers and transporting them into the resurrection pod.

"Stabilizing structure: 15% progress…" the Subspace computer spoke "Replicating DNA: 32% progress…" The Mii Fighters and Sephiroth started watching as the resurrection pod was creating an eerie purple mist and slowly taking shape.

"Rebuilding intellectual and physical form: 50% progress," the Subspace computer said. "Regenerating biological cellular structure: 85% progress." The children of the Ultimates watched in awe as the creature they chose is rebuilding and moving, releasing a thunderous roar.

"Almost finished," Sephiroth said. "All we have to do is give him the right size…" However, during the progress, Shadow Mewtwo was recovering memories from his past: remembering the Pokémon Trainer, the last Subspace Army invasion, the loss of many of the Pokémon, the fact that both he and many more were taken, tortured, and mutilated. Suddenly snapping out, Shadow Mewtwo broke the wires that connected to his Shadow Synergy Stone and broke the table he was attached to. During the time when Shadow Mewtwo was waking up, the computer was starting to malfunction.

"ERROR: progress terminated," the Subspace computer spoke. The Primids saw the computer was blinking out, they quickly started typing in codes to reboot the system. The creature trapped in the resurrection pod was being shocked with many sorts of lightning colors, the Judgement Fortress beginning to shake.

"Shut it down!" Sephiroth yelled at the Primids. "Shut it down!" The Mii Swordfighter noticed Shadow Mewtwo was out from his position.

"The legendary Pokémon is away from the device!" the Mii Swordfighter told the other Mii Fighters. "It looks like he's recovering memories! Whatever you do, do not let him destroy that Shadow Synergy Stone!" The Mii Fighters then started cornering Shadow Mewtwo, lassoing him in the bright purple rope from before. One of the Mii Gunners then walked in, with the taser. However, once the sparks touched Shadow Mewtwo's crystal, it had no effect on him.

"That little trick doesn't work on me anymore," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in boast. "I've gotten stronger by the minute…" The legendary Pokémon then broke free of his bondages and pushed the Mii Fighters away, both the Ultimates's children and their followers. Infinite got out from his position to stop this madness, and both M. Bison and Morpho Knight tried using their powers to bring down Shadow Mewtwo. Noticing the scenario, the Pokémon warped out of the research room and away from Subspace.

"Unable… to- shut down – ! #$ $(%$!?:{! # - help…" the Subspace computer said as its systems were overloading. The Ultimates's children got up, watching as the creature in the capsule was still roaring as more of the multi-colored sparks kept shocking him. Sephiroth then unsheathed his long sword, slicing at the computer screen and breaking the device, which resulted in the whole room going black.

"System… rebooting…" the Subspace computer said from a different area, and the computer fixed and repaired itself. Sephiroth looked with anger at the Mii Fighters, upset over the fact that the idea of a perfect warrior coming back ended in failure. Then, M. Bison, Morpho Knight, and Infinite went to their side when they felt embarrassed on their first day.

"Thanks to you idiots, the perfect plan to bring back one of our most powerful soldiers was ruined," Sephiroth said.

"Leave the Mii Fighters out of this," Infinite objected. "It isn't their fault Shadow Mewtwo has grown strong enough to escape into the outside world." Afterwards, the lights went back on. The Mii Fighters and Sephiroth watched as the resurrection pod opened, revealing the new and improved last of the Space Pirates – Ridley. The creature started crawling out of the machine that brought him back, roaring for fresh air. Like from a dream, the space creature slowly opened his eyes to explore the new environment around him.

"…Where… where am I…?" Ridley hissed in question. "What… is this place? What happened?"

"You are in the Judgement Fortress, inside the last Subspace gateway," Sephiroth answered. "Thanks to the rise in technology, we were able to resurrect you after your last defeat… with minor effects." From what the Mii Fighters and the bosses clearly saw, Ridley was much smaller than he first appeared, slightly taller if they were to compare him to Bowser.

"And how long was I out?" Ridley asked.

"Ten years, from what we heard," the Mii Gunner answered. "But… the good news is it somehow worked despite being smaller than usual."

"We were hoping you could join us for domination over Arcadia for Tabuu," Infinite said.

"Domination?" Ridley hissed, being a little more abusive in his voice. "For Tabuu? Who even is Tabuu? Was I really gone for ten years?"

"Ridley, I know this all sorts of confusing, but you'll be a lot happier when you finally join up with the Construct God," M. Bison said.

"All this time, I thought I was working for the Master Hand," Ridley objected. "Whoever this Tabuu guy is, I do not wanna stand beside him. It… just doesn't seem right, even if I'm a murderous monster…"

"Ridley," the Mii Brawler said, "it's difficult to believe, I know, but you'll get used to it."

"I can't do this," Ridley objected. "From now on, I'm on my own. No master, no rules, just destruction. I don't know who this guy is, and I never wanna know."

"Ridley, this is the last straw!" Sephiroth spoke in a stricter voice. "Join Tabuu or there will be consequences!"

"Sephiroth," the Mii Swordfighter asked, "don't you think Ridley's message turning our offer down may be because of those sparks from before…?"

"Of course I know! Why would you say that!?" Sephiroth yelled at the Mii Fighters. Ridley then started roaring, unfurling his wings and taking off into the air. The space creature started glaring madly at the Subspace Army bosses, self-aware he was betraying the ones who brought him back. Flying almost as fast as the speed of sound, Ridley started unleashing fireballs in the room, setting the place on fire and flying off, leaving claw and tail marks all over the floor, walls, and ceiling. Infinite created virtual water to put out the fire, and everyone saw Ridley was gone too.

"This would have never happened if Shadow Mewtwo made a fool of himself," Sephiroth said. "We're going to have to use those long-lost plans, and they'll be perfect for world domination. Let's go, Ultimates Reborn. From the time that passed, it looks like your new uniforms are ready." The one-winged angel with Infinite, M. Bison, and Morpho Knight left the research room, with the Mii Fighters left behind. Taking a look at the mess Ridley and Shadow Mewtwo had caused, the Mii Brawler turned towards the Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner. While he was looking at them in belief of shame and disappointment, the gleam that went in a full circle leading to a cross off-center flashed in his eyes. It was small, but small enough for the other two to notice and get the gleam as well.

"That gleam in your eyes…" the Mii Gunner said. "Is that…?"

"Strange how we all have it too," the Mii Swordfighter butted in.

"…It's probably nothing," the Mii Brawler answered, noticing the gleams in their eyes. "Let's get going. Sephiroth and the others are waiting for us to leave Subspace." Walking off, the new Ultimates left the research room, with the computer still functioning after all the chaos that took place. When the place was empty, the monitor flashed an image of Ridley, Shadow Mewtwo, and the Mii Fighters, picking up some sort of weird energy from all of them. The results broadcasted on the second screen showed the image of a Smash Ball, the only thing they had in common somehow.

"Hella would be surprised by these news," the Subspace computer spoke. "Sending information… She responded with, 'I will wait for the perfect time to reveal their secret, for I already know WHO they are.'"


	12. Pt 12: Protector of the Cosmos

*location skip

Sonic, Meta Knight, Bayonetta, Palutena, Dark Pit, Shulk, Lucas, Charizard, and Little Mac were grouped together, running through the dry, arid frontier, heading to the direction of Civiltatula, the city the blue rodent described.

"Are we there yet?" Lucas asked, slowing down in pace from exhaustion.

"We still have a long way to go," Sonic answered, "but we can take a break if you like."

"Yes, please," Lucas panted. However, Meta Knight walked in front of Sonic, his eyes giving off a slightly angry hue.

"Are you nuts?" Meta Knight then objected. "We are on the run from the Subspace Army, and you need to rest? Our enemies can't and never will rest until they have what they want."

"So, you're saying there's no time for breaks?" Sonic asked. "Y'know, you just need the time to sniff the flowers, as I always tell myself."

"How can I if we're stranded in the middle of nowhere where there's bound to be a lot of enemies spawning for no reason?" Meta Knight answered in the form of another question. "You're the only one who's bringing back the Smash Balls, regaining our memories. It's crucial we all work together to make sure the Subspace Army does not have what they want."

"And you're saying the fact that my existence is releasing the ultimate power which our enemies need to power the Subspace Bombs?" Sonic objected. "This is all kinds of confusing, even I don't seem to be following this…"

"Sonic. Meta Knight. Zip it," Shulk butted in, breaking up the argument. "Once we find out what kinds of crazy contraptions the Subspace Army is building with these blueprints, we'll be able to find out where they're making them and blow the place up. Simple as that, don't you think?" Sonic and Meta Knight then looked at each other with forgiveness, taking a look beyond the horizon in the direction they were heading off to.

"Since a war is never fair, and our enemies never take a vacation, I guess we should go through the Meta Knight route," Sonic answered. "It may not be the most logical – believe me, I know – but it's the only thing getting closer to reuniting with our friends." The blue hedgehog then pulled out the jar with the neon purple Shadow Bug named "Faker", taking a small glance at the tiny companion. Running off with a trail of dust, the other fighters started to follow him to their destination.

Thousands of miles above the black-red cloud coating all of Arcadia in darkness, a small, red-coated dragon called the Winged Firestorm Mini went lightning-fast into space, deep into the crystal-clear night sky, right in front of a rather large ship in the form of a futuristic castle powered by what appeared to be a glowing orb barely as dense and bright as the other stars. Inside the Winged Firestorm Mini, piloting the creature, were a series of Magikoopas and Hammer Bros., all lead by none other than the Koopa King's spoiled little son himself – Bowser Jr. – sitting in his Koopa Clown Car.

Watching tiny stars with what looked like eyes on their faces flinging themselves at the Winged Firestorm Mini, Bowser Jr. merely shook his head in disappointment.

"Uncle Sephy said I could have a little fun blowing up the Comet Observatory," Bowser Jr. said to himself, "and that's what I'm gonna do. Whatever it takes to reunite with my papa. Okay, boys! Fire when ready!" The Magikoopas started laughing when the Winged Firestorm Mini opened its mouth, napalm fire heating up in the back of its metallic throat. The giant fireball released landed right at the center of the spaceship's core, blowing up the Comet Observatory. Jewels shaped like stars flew out from the explosion, dropping through the black-red cloud waiting down below.

Coincidentally, Sonic and his team were at the same place the star-like jewels fell from the sky. As they looked around, they saw rainbow-glowing gems falling from up above, clearing the sky a little bit for them to observe the beautiful celestial bodies of space. Once the jewels touched the ground, they exploded into more gems shaped like stars. As the fighters looked above, they saw the Comet Observatory burning up in the atmosphere, turning into rubble. The rubble started landing around them like meteorites, iron-hot to the touch.

"Everyone, get out of the way!" Sonic yelled, pushing Palutena and Dark Pit out of the way followed by Lucas, Charizard, Bayonetta, Little Mac, and Shulk. Once everyone was hiding in a nearby cave, the blue hedgehog ran back to get Meta Knight, who had his legs trapped underneath one of the large pieces of rubble. Sonic started lifting it up as the last incoming debris was falling right above them.

"Go, M.K.!" Sonic groaned as his legs started wobbling from the excessive weight. "Run for cover!" Meta Knight flew into the cave as Sonic ran away from the collision just in time but couldn't back out from the shaking of the ground, which was so powerful it knocked him into the dry sand, rendering him unconscious. The last thing he heard were the voices of the other fighters from the cave, after the debris stopped falling from the sky.

Slowly waking up from the collision, he felt if the jar that was carrying Faker was still there unscratched, and it was. Giving a sigh of relief, he was trying to see what was tickling his nose at the time, waking him up. As he sharpened his vision, he saw a tiny, star-like being glowing yellow with large, black eyes, tapping the blue hedgehog's long, black nose with its stubby arms. His friends ran up to him just in time, trying to see if he's okay.

"Sonic!" Lucas said. "You all right?"

"Yeah," the blue hedgehog answered. As soon as Sonic got up and put the jar with Faker back in his quills, the star-like being started dancing like it was suspended in space, its squeaking voices echoing, relived of Sonic's survival with the catastrophe.

"What is that thing?" Pittoo asked.

"I have no idea," Sonic answered. "That was the first thing I saw when I woke up. I wonder what it's doing here." The star-like being was flailing its arms, almost as if it was terrified.

"By the way, buddy," Sonic asked the star-like being, "what do we call you?" The star-like being then started spinning in the air, creating waves of light that lasted long enough for the other fighters to read. Once the star-like being was finished, the waves of light read:

 _I am what you call a Luma. A terrible threat caused our home to explode like a supernova! Now, we have nowhere to live in the stars, and Mama's trapped and sleeping._

"Trapped?" Little Mac wondered. "Sleeping?"

"Where do we find your Mama?" Palutena asked the Luma. The star-like being started waving its arms, signifying the others to follow it as it flew off.

"Hey!" Sonic exclaimed. "Wait up!" The fighters started running after the Luma, following the thin streams of light. Once they were in the open, in the center of a huge crater were more of the Lumas - some red, blue, green, others white, black with blue eyes, or purple. The fighters then got into what the Lumas were protecting: a large, cyan-colored crystal with a sad girl trapped inside.

"That's your Mama?" Shulk asked. The yellow Luma nodded.

"How do we get her out of here?" Lucas asked. The Lumas started dancing around in waves of light, giving another message:

 _Maybe try breaking it. It could free our Mama…_

"Break it, huh?" Sonic asked in wonder. Meta Knight unsheathed his sword, unleashing a flurry of attacks at the crystal. When the others saw what the Lumas meant by breaking the crystal, they started attacking, revealing cracks on its surface. Once Little Mac dealt the finishing blow, the crystal shattered into many pieces, unleashing a blinding light. After the light cleared, the fighters saw the sad girl trapped in the crystal was a mysterious woman with silky, blond hair. A long lock of it covered her right eye, which each one of them were a deep-space color and sparkled like the cosmos, and she was wearing a silver crown on her head. Her earrings looked like they were twinkling, and her dress was as blue as the waters of the earth. She was wielding a wand in her left hand, and she was slowly regaining conscious as she started sitting up in what remained of the crystal she was trapped in.

"Oh, dear," the woman said, her voice echoing like the Lumas. "I wasn't supposed to arrive here until another hundred years…"

"Well, we got you outta here," Sonic said. "Do you mind telling us your name for those who don't know, miss?"

"My name is Rosalina, protector of the galaxies and mother of the Lumas," the woman answered.

"So, do you mean you're a mother physically or mentally?" Sonic asked, the question having nothing to do with the situation.

"SONIC!" Meta Knight yelled angrily as Rosalina and the other fighters giggled.

"I guess you could say I'm both," Rosalina said.

"Nah, that's fine," Sonic replied. "Anyway, why was your ship falling from the sky?"

"The Comet Observatory's main core was destroyed," Rosalina answered, the yellow Luma cuddling up into its mother's arms. "Someone from this world has finally destroyed our home, even though we had no idea how we got here or where we came from… or how we became like this…"

"Well," Sonic said, "I know you were once a human girl when you first came across those Lumas, and…" Before Sonic was about to begin the story, the Winged Firestorm Mini roared before landing to the rubble. Hearing the rumbling, all the frightened Lumas disappeared into thin air except for the yellow one, who stayed close to Rosalina. Sonic and the other fighters then crawled out of the crater, noticing the red, robotic dragon. Then, Magikoopas and Hammer Bros. fell from the Winged Firestorm Mini's stomach, and they were all followed by Bowser Jr., who slowly glided to the ground in his Koopa Clown Car.

"Looks like I found the prisoners who escaped from the previous version of the Winged Firestorm Pro," Bowser Jr. said. "I wasn't expecting you guys to show up. I just wanted to see if the protector of the cosmos was still alive after I purposely destroyed her home for fun…"

"Don't get too soft, boy," Bayonetta interrupted. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I was the boy who was separated from his father for years to come," Bowser Jr. answered. "The kid who stayed away from his papa for ten long years, trying to finish what he started after his betrayal to Tabuu. Bowser Jr.'s my name, and you picked a bad time to disturb our invasion. I'll give you another warning: if you ever dare of stopping our attack on Arcadia, there will be consequences." Bowser Jr. then jumped into the Winged Firestorm Mini, and the Magikoopas and Hammer Bros. watched as the red dragon took off into the skies towards the city of Civiltatula. Shadow Bugs started raining from the sky, forming Spaaks, Tickens, Bytans, Bucculi, Auroros, Shaydas, and paper-thin but boogieboard-wide flounder-shark hybrids with long, whipping tails and a hundred eyes on their faces – Halicarptus – which dove into the ground and emerged with stretchy jaws that would swallow a victim whole and carry them deep underground to suffocate them from the pressure.

"Alrighty, guys," Sonic said to the new recruits. "Looks like we're taking the road to the city the HARD way." Sonic started running towards the Magikoopas and Hammer Bros., avoiding their magic beams and flying hammers. Once the blue hedgehog managed to get behind their backs, he kicked them into oblivion, followed by his spin-dashes that were hard to predict. Shulk used his Monado Arts to switch into Speed Mode, allowing him to run faster than the Shaydas were able to catch up to him. Dodging the Subspace monsters' slashes, the Bionis jumped into the air, using his signature Backslash to split their bodies in half between each of their two heads. Charizard rushed up to the Tickens, breaking their hard shells to reveal innocent baby chicks that flew out of harm's way, and Lucas used his Rope Snake to grab the incoming diving Auroros. Bayonetta went high into the air and started firing her Bullet Arts at the Spaaks, knocking them out of the sky. Little Mac and Meta Knight charged at the Bytans and Bucculi, unleashing flurries of attacks and jabs. Palutena tried jumping over the soft ground, for she knew that Halicarptus love swimming in there, and once one jumped out, she zapped them with her staff. Dark Pit fired his arrows from his Silver Bow at one Halicarptu, splitting its thin, stretchy body in two.

Sonic started running out of the dangerous part of the frontier just in time, but remembered his friends weren't as fast as he was when he saw they were still surrounded by a lot of enemies. The blue blur then started running faster than the speed of sound, beginning to curl up into a ball at the incoming enemies who all suddenly noticed him. Sonic started grinding into a few ancient pillars as some of the Halicarptus rammed into the hard stone since they couldn't actually swim through a solid surface. The blue hedgehog's friends got out of the soft sand and onto hard ground, Sonic jumped right in front of them, with the monsters chasing after him only to be crushed by the pillar. The only creatures that survived were the Halicarptus, who were squirming underneath the weight only to die seconds later. After the fighters noticed the bad-ass action Sonic preformed, they started applauding in wonder.

"Don't thank me," Sonic replied. "That's how I do my job around here." Once he took another step, he started feeling the pain from before, clenching his stomach. Worried about Sonic's health, Meta Knight and Rosalina ran to his side, with the yellow Luma hiding behind Charizard's wings.

"What's with him?" Rosalina asked Meta Knight while Sonic was groaning badly.

"He's going through another phase of the Smash Ball," Meta Knight answered. "We're going to have to back away from him slowly and figure out what he's seeing this time." After the fighters were backing off, Sonic stood upright, opening his white, glowing eyes once more.

After Sonic got up, he saw that he had the rainbow hue, glowing golden irises, and Smash Ball attached to his chest once more. He took the jar with Faker out of his quills, still thinking about how this is possible. Looking around, the blue hedgehog saw where he last left off – Hella with the very first Shadow Bug traveling to the Isle of the Ancients for answers of her long-lost past and why they were using her technology. As Sonic observed, the black-haired girl came from a long journey, holding the map she was carrying up to her face once in a while.

 _Time passed by ever since I started looking for the Isle of the Ancients before heading for the location of the Mii Fighters I somehow knew but never... really studied,_ Hella's voice echoed in Sonic's head. _I had been travelling for weeks without the Master Core's acceptance, wandering the far corners of the land. I was growing tired, weary, and the only person I could ever talk to and share my feelings with was the Shadow Bug I created._ The blue blur watched as the time with Hella sped up around him, and he wasn't moving at all as he watched her walk to her destination. Finally, after a long journey, Hella looked awfully exhausted.

 _I had been far away from the Arcadium for a long time,_ Hella replied. _I suddenly came across a rather large mountain where the map said was the Isle of the Ancients. I felt like I was lied to, but I decided to not give up when I travelled so far. So, with all my strength, I climbed to the largest tree on the mountain at the very peak. There, I unpacked my stuff and took a deep rest._ Sonic the Hedgehog started observing over the time the black-haired girl was sleeping, the mountain started to rumble. Taking off into the air, the mountain started lifting up, revealing what appeared to be hovering devices underneath. Buildings that were invisible at the time started fading into sight as the clouds seemed to lower themselves above them. The Shadow Bug in the jar at Hella's side watched as the mountain was beginning to float into the skies and tried to wake her up, but to no avail. After the rumbling stopped, Hella stirred up from her sleep after quite some time. The Shadow Bug was chirping signs of annoyance, and Hella calmed it down by gently rubbing the jar it was encased in. As the black-clothed warrior looked around, she suddenly saw what once appeared to be a mountain was actually a long-lost city.

 _I finally found it, staring with eyes of wonder,_ Hella said. _The hidden city of the Isle of the Ancients, floating high above the clouds._ Sonic watched as Hella got up from her resting spot and looked around her. The blue hedgehog then started following her around, the rainbow hue surrounding him trailing behind. Hella was looking around, admiring the chrome-colored buildings and futuristic technology lighting the pathways. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted what appeared to be a small R.O.B. simply walking out of the building. Noticing someone not of their kind is on the island, the robot started releasing loud beeps to signal anyone else to see what it sees. More robots that looked much like the small R.O.B. walked out of more buildings, trying to see what's going on. Sonic was in front of Hella at that time, but the R.O.B.s simply passed through him. As the blue hedgehog watched through the crowd of robots, he saw that they were looking at Hella and her Shadow Bug with curiosity. Just then, the R.O.B.s parted way for what appeared to be the lead robot, her head a white platinum with golden arms and a silver body. She was trying to communicate with Hella, but her own language consisted of only beeps in frequencies even Hella couldn't understand. Eventually, a cream-and-red colored R.O.B. brought to her a dark green cape with a thought translator attached to it. When the lead robot put it on, she managed to keep it snug.

"I'm not very good with introductions, human," the lead robot said. "I'm known by a lot of names, but you may call me the Ancient Minister."

"How come your city was disguised as a mountain?" Hella asked.

"We had kept our secret for years," the Ancient Minister said. "We recognized the technology you made for our survival."

"They're not much," Hella replied. "They're just made for random battles."

"Nonsense!" the Ancient Minister objected. "We were most pleased with your work."

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that you're thankful for my inventions to build machines to replicate the need for an increased life?" Hella asked.

"I guess if that's how you want to put it," the Ancient Minister answered. "Thanks to your devices, we have decided to treat you as a friend from now on."

"A… friend?" Hella asked. "That's nice. I mean… I've never really had a friend before, and I always fight with those I know…"

"That's alright," the Ancient Minister answered. "We'll be having a party at the Great Hall for thanking you for your inventions." As time passed, the Ancients were setting up a banquet and treating Hella as the guest of honor. There was music and food beyond anything Sonic could imagine, and even though he was viewing this through a memory he was a little hungry…

After the hours had passed, Hella with the Shadow Bug in her pocket was walking with the Ancient Minister through the courtyard, admiring the view from on high.

"So..." Hella asked, "about your voices, how come you never actually talk?"

"We communicate through special understanding only we could read," the Ancient Minister said. "It wasn't until your inventions helped us talk to other species better."

"Maybe you wouldn't be needing those doohickeys once you find another kind who reads your language…" Hella resounded.

"Maybe…" the Ancient Minister replied. "Anyway, what brings you here to the Isle of the Ancients? Is it because you want the inventions you have back?"

"No, no," Hella answered. "I finally see you're happy with my little toys. It's just that… I am one of the many species who was supposedly abducted from my homeland and transformed into a trophy, which would remove all memories of anyone's past. I was eavesdropping on the Master Core and told someone to bring both my technology and the past knowledge of anyone in this land to the Isle of the Ancients…"

"I think you may have misheard him," the Ancient Minister said. "We don't have the knowledge that you seek. However, there is a more elderly species far away from here. They are called the Mii Fighters, based off beings from other universes. Deep in their city is the Chamber of Secrets. There, you will find who you truly are. However, once this vast knowledge is read, you will never be the same again. The land of the Mii Fighters is hidden in the pit of Ginnungagap, the area where Muspelheim – the fire – and Niflheim – the ice – meet. The map to the land of the Mii Fighters is hidden in the stars. Follow the Northern Star, which is so bright it even shines during the day, and you will never lose your location."

"Thank you so much, Ancient Minister," Hella answered, tucking the Shadow Bug into her pocket. "There are some blueprints left on your table, so you can use my technology for yourselves. I promise I'll come back to visit sometime. Anyway, how do I get down from here?"

"With your inventions of teleportation, of course," the Ancient Minister answered. With a rather large cannon, the robot shot her, warping her out of the Isle of the Ancients. When Hella woke up, she found out she was back in the land of Arcadia where the mountain she visited before once was, and she remembered to follow the Northern Star to the land of the Mii Fighters and find out everything about herself. Walking out of the woods and into the uncharted territory, the black-haired girl was sketching the new areas and creatures she founded along the way.

 _From A to Z,_ Hella's voice rang as Sonic watched her travelling, _I found new species that were submissive to my will – Armank, Armight, Auroros, Autolance, Bombed, Borboras, Bucculus, Buckot, Bytan, Cymul, Feyesh, Floow, Gamyga, Glice, Glire, Glunder, Greap, Mite, Mizzo, Nagagog, Poppant, Puppit, Roader, Roturret, Shaydas, Shellpod, Spaak, Ticken, Towtow, and Trowlon. I charted and observed each creature on how they behaved, understanding the ways of the wild. During my long journey, I was starting to remember heading back to the Arcadium to prove the Master Core wrong about us after I completed my quest to follow the Northern Star._

Eventually, Sonic the Hedgehog saw Hella stumble into an empty land, where it was filled with nothing but icy-cold waste. The wind was blowing almost as powerful as a hurricane, the large crystals slicing and bruising the girl's soft skin. The map that Hella was holding onto at the time started to shred into pieces, and the sky was so foggy even the Northern Star couldn't shine through the blanket of the snowy clouds. Her Shadow Bug companion started shivering and sneezing, cuddling up next to Hella for warmth in her pocket.

"Where am I supposed to go!?" Hella cried. "I feel like I've been walking around in circles. I'll die here… The Master Core was right. I was too careless in my actions and so damned myself…" The black-haired girl started weeping, with Sonic walking right up to her side, the rainbow hue the only thing illuminating the thick, icy fog. Just then, a spark of fire flew right past her face, followed by a series of more sparks. Hella wiped away her frozen tears to find out there must be some generator of warmth around here. Walking towards where the sparks got brighter and holding her breath from the incoming smoke, Hella saw huge bursts of flames gushing out from special pillars. When Hella looked around, she observed the snowstorm colliding with the sandstorm. She saw the fire and ice then swirl around on another before being sucked into a hole larger than anything she's ever seen, and above the pit was the Northern Star shining the light on top of the two areas.

"The place where fire and ice meet," Hella said to herself. "Ginnungagap! I found it!" Geysers of hot and cold erupted from the mouth of the pit and scrapped her left arm, both freezing and burning her a little. Hella backed away from the pit, trying to see where she can find a way into the land of the Mii Fighters. As Hella was trying to think of a way in, the colossal pit started shaking, and the land underneath the black-haired girl's weight collapsed. Hella felt that she was falling, and she started screaming in terror that she was falling to her doom. Sonic jumped in, feeling the fire and ice flowing around him but not do any physical harm to him. Once Sonic got onto the ground, he saw Hella lying unconscious, surrounded by strange, exotic plants. She slowly stirred up, feeling the Shadow Bug she made was still in the jar in her pocket. There was artificial sunlight generated from the fire of Muspelheim, and many of the plants had that icy texture of Niflheim. Trees and flowers that Sonic thought were extinct thrived, and the fresh air breathed through in small gusts. Hella was in an entirely new land hidden deep below Ginnungagap.

The rustling of the plants disturbed the silence, encouraging Hella to bring her guard up. She started to carry her weapon, looking around the new environment she was in. Emerging out of the bushes, a Mii Brawler wrapped around in a ragged tunic emerged, followed by a Mii Swordfighter wearing a leopard's tunic and a Mii Gunner clothed by a giant leaf. Their weapons consisted of rocks for the Brawlers, sharp, hard leaves for the Swordfighters, and ancient plasma for the Gunners.

"Stay where you are, outsider!" the Mii Brawler spoke. "You dare invade our homeland when we were safe for many years to come?"

"I- I'm sorry," Hella muttered. "It's just that… I wanted to visit your ruler and ask for your knowledge…"

"You seek us for our knowledge?" the Mii Gunner said. "Intruder from the surface, we'll be taking you to the Ultimates for interrogation." They eventually grabbed some rope and tied Hella's hands in front of her body, dragging her to their city. As Hella was observing, she saw the land didn't look or feel like an all-knowing nation. She looked around, seeing the tons of Miis that didn't even become Fighters swinging through the vines on the trees next to their stone huts. Hella was then placed in front of the three Ancient Ultimates, who were cloaked with black star leaves.

"What brings you here to our secret land, outsider?" the Swordfighter Ancient Ultimate said.

"She was found beyond our borders, looking for the vast knowledge we contain within these walls," the Mii Brawler said.

"I wasn't looking for any harm," Hella objected, struggling with the bondages. "I was only travelling, hoping you could unlock the secrets to my long-lost past…"

"Your persuasions don't seem to have that kind of effect on us," the Brawler Ancient Ultimate said, gently grinding his stone fists together.

"If you please don't arrest me," Hella explained, "let me tell you why I came here."

 _As the time had passed,_ Hella's voice rang out in Sonic's head, _I told the Mii Fighters about my residency with the Master Core and the fact that I needed their knowledge to find out who I really am. As a bonus, I promised to make their nation better than before, for I saw that they were living in toil and torment._

"Say no more," the Gunner Ancient Ultimate said, releasing Hella from her bondages. "We'll be taking you to the Chamber of Secrets. But be careful: this vast knowledge is not meant to be looked at by anyone, for anyone who reads them will run in fear of who they truly are…" The three Ancient Ultimates each placed their left hands on the edges of their thrones, opening a passageway that extended deep underground in the center of the room.

"Good luck…" the three Ancient Ultimates said. Hella took the long staircase down into the pit, looking around the damp, empty chasm. Sonic was slowly walking behind her, trying to find the all-knowledge in the Chamber of Secrets. Finally, right in front of her, Hella found the collection of scrolls and books in front of her that the Mii Fighters have saved over the many years. They were all listed in alphabetical order, each one with every name in all of Arcadia. Hella started viewing in the "H" section of the collection because of the first letter her name started with. Once she finally found a scroll that started with her name – only one – she started to open it and began to read. Turns out she discovered it was a note taken from the Master Core herself.

 _I was pretty alarmed when I discovered the Master Core himself wrote down most of this information about all of us,_ Hella's voice echoed through Sonic. _Nonetheless, the note read, "Hella is by far one of my most prized possessions. She is my favorite character and deserves to be treated equally, like all of the other fighters. However, my bondage to Ragnarokk prevented me from doing so. Hella was also a part of me, and she was on Ragnarokk's side for using ultimate power to create a land where everyone could get along. When I couldn't handle it anymore, I split myself from Ragnarokk, leaving only Hella behind. She was the one who had all the order, I had all the power, and I knew I had to do something to keep her away from my domain. If I didn't have, it could lead to an all-out war involving imprisoning me. To protect her, I stripped her of her true powers, transformed her into a trophy to wipe away her memories, and made her think she was one of the brave warriors I created. I hope she never finds out, and even then, I already know I can't kill her… for we were once whole…"_

Hella was surprised that she was lied to this whole time, how she was stripped of her ultimate power, how the Master Core didn't kill her when he had the chance. Lowering her head, the black-haired girl tucked the scroll in her pocket, the Subspace tattoo on her left arm exposing. She walked out of the Chamber of Secrets in front of the three Ancient Ultimates, bowing her head in thanks.

"Were you shocked to find out the truth?" the Brawler Ancient Ultimate asked.

"Oh, no…" Hella answered in nervousness. "Not at all. Really, I'm fine. So… do you think you could warp me back to the Arcadium with some sort of special device, if you have one?" The three Ancient Ultimates clapped their hands, and the Mii Fighters presented to her a special elixir glowing green. Once the cork popped off, Hella could smell a faint, apple-scented flavor emitting from the peculiar juice.

"Once you drink the whole elixir," the Swordfighter Ancient Ultimate said, "you'll fall into a deep sleep, making us easier to carry you back to your home, making the long journey back seem like just a dream." Hella then took the elixir and slowly drank it. Once the bottle was empty, she felt awfully woozy, beginning to yawn as the Mii Fighters placed her on a leave-woven bed and started to carry her to the outside world.

When Hella woke up, she found out she was back in her lab, and her Shadow Bug was still in its jar carried in her pocket. She slowly got up, taking out the scroll she had with her the whole time, reading it word-for-word again, wondering if she really did have long-lost abilities more powerful than the Master Core? If she was so weak before that he had the chance to turn her into a weak trophy? If she could do something to treat all fighters equally? After she walked out the door of her lab, she found out the Master Core himself was right in front of her, with the Swarms forming the structure of a human man.

"You've been away for quite a long time," the Master Core said.

"I had to find out who I was," Hella answered. "To see how much we can learn from ourselves…"

"By befriending the Ancients and the Mii Fighters?" the Master Core objected. "To help make their lives better? You seriously don't think I can't see and hear everything across this land? I should have never planned this future when I created Arcadia…"

"I told you before, old man," Hella replied, the Master Core standing in front of her. "Sometime soon, people are gonna be waking up and finding out who they really are, and there will be nothing to stand in your way. Had it not been for me, you would've been abducting warriors from other lands and erasing all memories of their past lives by now. But I guess that wouldn't really matter, considering the fact you ARE dragging warriors from their homelands…"

"Had it not been for you, Arcadia would never exist," the Master Core answered. "You know how much I dearly care for all of the fighters in this land, and I was doing it all for you without you even realizing it…" The Master Core started holding Hella in his arms, his snake-like arms wrapping around her chest. Hella then pushed him away, thinking that something isn't right.

"This… this all seems like a lie," Hella replied. "If you really cared for everyone and wished you were one right now, then I might ask you to give up being taboo. No one should ever have that unlimited power…"

"Give up being taboo?" the Master Core asked. "But I need that power to make sure you all live equally. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, but," Hella answered in objection, "this is not what I asked for… If you really cared, you would have given those who have been abducted back their memories and a way back to visit their worlds once in a while."

"Memories are dangerous for warriors new and old," the Master Core objected. "The pain they went through is not allowed in my world. Here in Arcadia, we remove all of the suffering and the consequences. What you did is make the rules of this world even worse by bringing order and change after reading that scroll." The Master Core then yanked the scroll out of Hella's hands, burning it into ashes with his magic. He then grabbed the Shadow Bug that Hella was keeping with her and crushed the jar with his hand with the creature trapped inside.

"Tomorrow morning," the Master Core said, "I'll be creating a new city called Civiltatula, the world where every creature could live under my rules and not yours."

"You say that there is no purpose on leading a successful life for all," Hella objected. "It's you who never chooses to change. Aren't you the REAL villain here?"

"Enough, Hella," the Master Core answered. "Tomorrow morning, I'll be taking you into the Arcadium, giving you the death penalty."

"But… you said trophies can't die," Hella objected.

"Well, who says that when you discover you and your master were once one?" the Master Core asked, the black-haired girl trembling as the Swarm-made figure walked out her lab door.

"One day," Hella said, "the Goddess of Oblivion will return, and I'll be making the perfect world in her honor, and I'll make sure all of the fighters stay secluded to my orders. Besides, you clearly said, in the scroll, that you can't kill me because you can't exist without me?"

"I can make sure you don't rise again when I finish your life," the Master Core said. "The land is constantly changing with your actions, and every law is altered. Goodbye, Hella…" Transforming into a giant cloud, the Master Core left the front of her lab house, leaving the black-haired warrior to sit alone.

With the thought that she's part of an all-powerful goddess.

She gently picked up a piece of the fractured jar with her very first Shadow Bug, the small tears reflected on its transparent surface. Looking down on her arm, she saw the Shadow Bug she made rub her cheek before disappearing into the walls, never to be seen again. Filled with rage, anger, jealousy, and unforgiveness, she stood up, thinking about a plan for changing the rules of the world.

"I can't do this alone," Hella said to herself, Sonic watching from afar. "What the Master Core has that I don't is an army of his own. He could command every trophy to turn against me, no questions or objections asked. I gotta get help." She then took out a communicator and started to contact her best friend, the Ancient Minister. The display screen started flashing green, revealing the lead R.O.B. answering the communicator.

"Hello, Hella," the Ancient Minister said. "Is there anything I could do to help?"

"I'd like you to contact the Mii Fighters," Hella answered. "Give them the best equipment you've built. I'll be going out into the wilderness on my hyperdrive hover pack to collect certain creatures to aid us. Before I leave, I'll be making more Shadow Bugs to form into beings just like the Master Core can do."

"What are you saying?" the Ancient Minister asked in slight fear.

"We're in a war," Hella answered before shutting off her communicator. After those events, Sonic the Hedgehog saw everything going white, eventually flashing before his eyes. When the blue blur woke up, he suddenly realized he was right in front of the city of Civiltatula, where the futuristic buildings were an eerie black opal, the lights flashed many different colors, and the rain poured its heaviest. Deep within the city, Primids with multiple red eyes, useless wings, and bleeding mouths were dominating the streets, walking around like an apocalypse of the undead. Many of the creatures Sonic had encountered before were all there, simply idling around like there was no one to intrude them. As the blue hedgehog looked up in the black-red sky, he saw the Winged Firestorm Mini fly into what appeared to be the tallest building in the city.

"Wonder where all my buddies went?" Sonic asked. "Either they were way ahead of me when I was vision-walking, or they're WAY back where I first appeared." As Sonic looked behind himself, he saw the rest of his gang running towards him, alarmed that they found him. The blue hedgehog ran back to the group, panting after all that running.

"Well?" Meta Knight asked. "What did you see in that vision?"

"I kinda figured out something," Sonic answered. "It seemed like there was some sort of ancient being called Ragnarokk, the Goddess of Oblivion, and apparently, the Master Core and Hella were once one. She found out about herself, befriended the Ancients and the Mii Fighters…"

"Did the vision mention anything about the Smash Ball?" Lucas interrupted, followed by Charizard nodding.

"Not that I know of," Sonic answered. "Anyway, it looks like we're just about here at our destination – Civiltatula, the City of Monsters and Nightmares."

"Are you sure we'll find someone in there who can understand these blueprints?" Palutena asked the blue blur.

"If there's anyone left in there, maybe," Sonic answered. "All we need to do is find someone who at least reads our language and understands the speech that is in the blueprints, even if he or she can't speak the common tongue…"

"Whoever's in there," Bayonetta chirped, "we'll be needing their help in the incoming invasion. New monsters just spawn out of nowhere, and the previous monsters you've encountered are even worse than ever. Wonder why…"

"I dunno either," Sonic answered. "Any moment now, the Subspace Army probably snagged some copies of the original blueprints. We've gotta find someone in there and fast." Sonic, Lucas, Charizard, Little Mac, Shulk, Bayonetta, Palutena, Dark Pit, Meta Knight, and Rosalina with her Luma ran towards the border of one of the most dangerous territories they've ever set foot in – Civiltatula.


	13. Pt 13: What to Do in a Crisis

Shadow Mewtwo was warping in the deep woods, running away from the Subspace Army. He was trying to get rid of the Shadow Bugs scarring his body, filling his mind with mixed memories. It was a constant battle between the Pokémon he once was and the monster he became for the Subspace Army. The Phantom Ruby that paired with him made the situation even worse. It drove him even crazier, forcing him to scratch the Shadow Synergy Stone off his left shoulder. His psychic and physical attacks did no good since the crystal only healed itself. The Shadow Bugs started tormenting him, making him go insane. Eventually, he saw himself in a pitch-black room with a red light above him. In front of Shadow Mewtwo was Infinite, the wielder of the Phantom Ruby.

"Get out of my head," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized.

"Oh, but I can't leave," Infinite objected. "I'm already a part of you. I already know where you're hiding, and the Subspace Army will track you down no matter what the cost…" The masked jackal warped closer, face-to-face with the tortured legendary Pokémon.

"Let me do this on my own," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in agony. "I don't need any of your help. All you do is make things even worse."

"Thanks to your little accident," Infinite said, "one of our biggest bosses ran away from the Subspace Army. All we've been doing is making you grow stronger, so powerful that even our little toys have no effect on you anymore."

"Please… leave…" Shadow Mewtwo telepathized. The room that the Pokémon was trapped in with Infinite vanished, leaving him back in the woods. Shadow Mewtwo's purple eyes contracted, crying over the sudden truth that he can't get rid of the horrible memories that scarred him for life. Just then, he heard a motor running from a distance. He saw Cloud with Link, Mario, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus driving the Fenrir to one of the hidden Subspace areas for answers of the incoming monsters. Then, without warning, Shadow Mewtwo used one of his Shadow Balls at the motorcycle. Cloud saw the incoming projectile in time and knocked all of the other fighters off. The 1st-class SOLDIER jumped off just in time as the Shadow Ball hit the Fenrir, causing the motorcycle to blow up. The other fighters got up and saw the catastrophe, looking at the direction the projectile came from. Shadow Mewtwo was simply standing there, afraid for the first time.

"Alright, Subspace boss," Cloud said, walking towards Shadow Mewtwo with Mario, Link, Zero Suit Samus, and Zelda. "We were on a little vacation for answers and looks like we'll be getting a few today."

"Listen, listen," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in fear. "There's a huge threat. You don't know it's coming. Just leave me alone!" Shadow Mewtwo shot violet electricity from the palm of his weirdly-shaped hand. The other fighters, alarmed, dodged just in time. Threatened, Cloud Strife grabbed Shadow Mewtwo's hands, squeezing them tighter as seconds went on.

"Last chance, bitch," Cloud ordered. "What kind of monsters are they brewing up in Subspace?"

"I'm warning you," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized, squirming out of Cloud's grasp. "Stay- stay away from me-!" Before Shadow Mewtwo cloud finish, he accidently blasted a huge Shadow Bug pillar at Cloud, piercing his stomach.

"Cloud!" Link yelled. As the fighters watched, Cloud Strife was being engulfed by the Shadow Bugs, many of them leaking into his mouth and ears. After a short period of time passed, Cloud's body fell down, slowly getting up. The 1st-class SOLDIER's body was a darker color, producing a black-violet mist.

"…Cloud-a?" Mario asked. Before Mario could lay a hand on him, Cloud quickly jerked his neck, looking at the other fighters with glowing yellow eyes. The Shadow Bug fighter got up, popping his spine and shoulder. Link, Mario, Zero Suit Samus, and Zelda looked at Shadow Mewtwo, the Pokémon looking terrified.

"I swear it's not my fault," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in fear. Zelda launched a blast of magic at the Pokémon, but he simply vanished into thin air, leaving the other fighters to face Shadow Cloud alone.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this like it was ten years ago," Mario said. "We simply attack the faker and rescue the real companion." Mario's hands clasped over the blade of Shadow Cloud's Buster Sword the second the Shadow Bug warrior swung his weapon. Mario jumped out of the way, and Shadow Cloud glared at the prepped warriors. Zero Suit Samus went in first, using her Jet Boots to fire blasts at Shadow Cloud's face. However, the Shadow Bug fighter was blocking the blasts, but felt himself grabbed by Link's clawshot. The weapon that Link was using was starting to rust after ten years, so it didn't grab on as long. Shadow Cloud then pushed Link to the ground, delivering quick jabs with his foot. Link pulled up his Hylian Shield, avoiding the hits. He tried hitting Shadow Cloud with his left hand, but noticed he was growing weaker with that hand somehow. Just then, Shadow Cloud knocked the Master Sword out of the Hylian's hands, leaving Link to run and grab it. Shadow Cloud was about to use his Limit Break's Blade Beam, but Zelda used her Nayru's Love to reflect it back at the Shadow Bug warrior, protecting Link.

Mario jumped in, launching flaming punches at the Shadow Bug fighter. Shadow Cloud counterattacked with a Climhazard, slashing vertically into the air and landing with a powerful blast that sent Mario flying into a nearby tree. Zelda started kicking Shadow Cloud in the face with her heel, zapping some of the Shadow Bugs off. The possessed 1st-class SOLDIER grabbed Zero Suit Samus's plasma whip, kicking the bounty hunter between her legs. Before he could kick again, the blond-haired woman grabbed her gun and stunned him, leaving Link to deal the final blow. With a quick stab, Link shoved the Master Sword, now in his right hand, through Shadow Cloud's chest, leaving the possessed 1st-class SOLDIER to die.

"L-link…" Shadow Cloud panted as dark purple juices trailed out of his wound and mouth. Link unsheathed his sword, terrified of the terrible action he had to do to save his friend. Once the Shadow Bugs left Shadow Cloud's dead body, all that remained was a trophy of the 1st-class SOLDIER. The golden trophy base showed Cloud Strife in combat on both feet, holding the Buster Sword in front of him with his two hands. Zelda and Link backed away while Zero Suit Samus and Mario walked closer. Then, the Hero of Hyrule ran to the 1st-class SOLDIER's trophy lying on the ground, ready to touch the base like it was supposed to work before.

* * *

 _Where… where am I?_ Cloud Strife slowly woke up, noticing his body was transparent with a rainbow aura. The strangest thing was he had all the memories of his homeland, but not in his trophy form. Little did he know this is what happen to fighters when they transform – their spirits and real memories split from their bodies, helpless in the world, forever cursed to walk the earth if anything happened to their vessels.

 _Am I still in the Lifestream?_ Cloud looked around, unaware of the new environment around him. The Cloud that was hidden in the transformation was only here when he turned into a trophy, so he couldn't remember anything that happened in Arcadia.

 _Tifa? Barret? Anyone?_ He saw peculiar-looking strangers surrounding what appeared to be him. Cloud Strife started peeking in to see himself, only to look at it in shock. There, the spirit of the warrior found himself frozen in a still form, and those eyes did not describe him at all.

 _IS THAT… ME!?_ He saw Link reaching over to the trophy's base, trying to save him with a simple touch. The spirit of Cloud tried to call for help, not even remembering that the Hylian was his friend.

 _Someone… anyone… help me… Bring me back!_ After Link touched the base of the trophy, Cloud quickly jerked up as if he woke up from a nightmare. Panting heavily, he saw his friends gathered around him, almost as if he remembered something from a dream.

* * *

"What the hell just happened?" Cloud Strife asked, getting up from his rest position.

"You were possessed by Shadow Bugs," Link answered. "We had to do something. I had to do something…"

"What matters is that you're okay, Cloud-a," Mario said. "Is… is there anything that's troubling you?" Cloud Strife sat up, wiping his forehead from the sweat.

"I… thought I had a dream…" Cloud answered. "When I was in my trophy form, I think… I mean, this world is already confusing enough as it is… Anyway, I saw myself, separated from my body, thinking I was still in some sort of Lifestream, looking for a girl named Tifa… these memories are all returning to me slowly but surely..."

"Which means it could probably work for the most of us too," Mario answered. "All this time, I've been away from the place I call home…"

"Red described once having a legendary Pokémon called Mewtwo," Zelda objected. "Did you see what appeared to be his counterpart a few minutes ago? It looked like he was being tortured mentally… almost as if he didn't mean to attack us and have us deal with the Shadow Bugs possessing Cloud alone…"

"Wherever this creature is, we need info on the new monsters," Cloud replied. "We're almost at the Subspace base, and Link and Zelda could suit up in the meantime. Looks like they could use a change…" The two Hylians nodded, walking off into the bushes to change.

As time had passed, Mario, Zero Suit Samus, and Cloud were waiting for Link and Zelda to be done. Once they heard the rustling, they saw the new and improved warriors they once knew. For Link, his blond hair was tied up into a ponytail with two locks in front of his ears, he was equipped with a bow and arrows, his Master Sword was now exposing its handle on Link's right shoulder (which he could wield the sword with his right hand and the Hylian Shield in the other), and his tunic was now a sky blue with white markings very different from the traditional green color of legends. As for Zelda, her hair was now a light blond with two bangs in front of her jeweled headpiece, and she was wearing a short-sleeved dress colored white with a dark shade of pink decorated with golden jewelry.

"Damn, guys!" Zero Suit Samus said as a compliment. "These new looks are really good on you! By the way, what do you think Link has?" The bounty hunter noticed Link was carrying some sort of tablet device with a Sheikah symbol on his waistband.

"Oh, this?" Link pulled it out, noticing the tablet. "This thingy is called a Sheikah Slate, or so I've been told. Basically, the Sheikah had some long-lost technology more advanced than anything in all of Hyrule. With this contraption, I could be able to make remote-detonated bombs, research enemy devices, and more."

"Looks like we got a science expert on our side," Cloud said. "Nice decision."

"So, looks like we're ready to head into the Subspace base then?" Zelda asked, flipping her new hairdo with her hand.

"Just about-a," Mario answered. "And with that nifty Sheikah Slate Link has with him to replace his old clawshot, it might be of some good use in the future." Afterwards, Cloud Strife, Zero Suit Samus, and Mario went with the new and improved Link and Zelda to the nearby Subspace base.

* * *

Deep in the forest, where more desolated trees burned to the ground and monsters dwelled, the Falcon Flyer Group walked in the direction they thought would help them find Sonic.

"Guys! Over here!" Peach exclaimed. There, in the distance, the Big Blue Group saw a person trapped underneath a burning tree trunk. Captain Falcon and Bowser started to lift up the heavy rubbish as Marth and Duck Hunt pulled out the person who was trapped. R.O.B. lifted the unconscious man in his robotic arms, laying him down. The stranger was revealed to have white hair, a black coat with golden traces, and in his partially gloved hands were a sword shaped like lightning and a tome with four symbols: a lightning bolt, a flame, a wind slash, and a dark eye, each one signifying thunder, fire, wind, and death. The man slowly stirred up, looking at Jigglypuff now cuddling to his side for comfort.

"Where… where am I?" the man asked, getting up. "The last thing I remember was waking up here with no memory of what happened, dragons that I've never seen before showed up and started burning the forest… The last thing I saw was the sky growing dark and strange, purple entities raining…"

"What matters is that you're alright," Ike replied. "Tell us, stranger. What brings you here in our aid of need?"

"Where are my manners?" the man answered in the form of a question. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Robin, and I'm a very skilled tactician in both planning and magic."

"You were with someone, weren't you?" Pit asked.

"Oh, I was," Robin answered. "I was with a princess warrior named Lucina, but when those monsters attacked, I was alone when I woke up and I couldn't find her anywhere…" The fighters then started hearing laughing from the distance, bringing up the fighters' guards. Appeared right in front of them was a tall, shadowy man. He was cloaked in dark purple and black, and he carried a book with the cover signifying death. His face showed signs of elderly age, and he was stroking his small black beard with long fingernails.

"Validar!" Robin exclaimed. Just then, the shadowy mage dropped down onto the ground, almost as if he was wounded. He then slowly absorbed the Shadow Bugs, forming into a demonic dragon with six purple eyes, two long, golden horns, and thin, spidery legs, towering over the fighters. Before the warriors could advance, the dragon shrunk back, revealing Validar once again.

"So sorry about transforming into the Fell Dragon Grima," Validar hissed in glee. "Hard to keep him inside your body when you're the one possessed through series of precise rituals…"

"Possessed?" Robin asked.

"Yes," Validar answered. "With the time of reckoning upon us, it's worth it to be the vessel of your master when Tabuu calls upon all of us to rebuild the Great Maze. Soon, there will be a time when everyone will finally get what they want…"

"Excuse me… get what they want?" Ike objected. "If they really want us to feel happy once more, why don't they give us presents? Why do they have to go out in a full-blown war against us?" Silence lingered in the air as the trembling Validar slowly shifted away from the fighters.

"I… have to go…" With a puff of smoke, Validar vanished into the black-red cloud.

"That's odd," Robin asked himself. "I clearly thought Validar would be more menacing than that… almost as if some otherworldly force doing something to make him so... cowardly…" Suddenly, with a flash of lightning, a terrifying monster landed right in front of the fighters. Its body started glowing an eerie red marbled with black, and pieces of its body looked like they were made out of ancient stone. Its four eyes laid horizontally on its rocky face were glowing in an order of white, red, blue, and yellow. Its four arms were carrying an arm cannon of the wind element, a glowing ball of the fire element, a long, plasmatic sword of the water element, and a huge spear with metal at the tip of the thunder element. The creature sprouted two dragon wings on its back and was standing in a form similar to Grima. Fused to itself was a crystal cage which appeared to be its control center. With a mighty roar, the creature took off into the air.

"What is that thing!?" Pit asked, terrified.

"Loos like some sort of Blight Ganon," Captain Falcon answered. "Heard it from Ganondorf's gossips when he was reigning as captain of the Subspace Army. Strange how it looks like all four of them combined somehow to create what Validar called his master…"

"Looks like we're going to have to call it a Blight Grima since it behaves awfully a lot like Grima…" Robin answered, bringing out his tome and Levin Sword. The Blight Grima rushed towards the warriors like a dragon. Marth and Ike jumped out of the way just in time, but Pit was pinned to the ground by its weight. Jigglypuff floated in and started attacking with soft-looking by nasty punches as the Blight Grima breathed a mixed elemental storm on Pit's body, scarring him a touch. As Jigglypuff kept landing hits with Donkey Kong, Robin pulled out his Thunder Tome and started charging his Thoron. The Wind Elemental arm cannon and the Fire Elemental ball fired blasts of magic at the incoming fighters. Wario rode in on his bike with Mr. Game & Watch before jumping off and farting at the Blight Grima's face. With the monster angry, it got off Pit, following Wario as Mr. Game & Watch jumped onto its back, trying to whack the crystal cage on its back.

Olimar stood from a distance as he commanded his Pikmin to latch onto the monster as gashes started forming on its arms and legs. With a huge whip of its tail, the Blight Grima forced the fighters to either jump or duck. After they got up, Robin was just about ready to fire his Thoron, but the monster started slashing with its Water Elemental sword. With another tome ready for use, Robin started using Arcfire at the creature, burning its face. R.O.B. jumped onto the Blight Grima's back, attacking the crystal cage with Mr. Game & Watch. Peach and Bowser pelted the incoming monster with fireballs and turnips but were quickly knocked onto the ground with its Thunder Element spear, which launched deadly bolts in all directions. After dodging the fast arms, Robin noticed R.O.B. and Mr. Game & Watch attacking the crystal cage, which was weakening the monster.

"Everyone, don't attack its body!" Robin yelled. "If you want a quick kill, aim for the cage! It's the exposed weakness!" Robin then jumped into the air, using Elwind and Nosferatu on the Blight Grima's crystal cage. Pit flew towards the creature, avoiding its four deadly arms and started firing arrows of light with Palutena's Bow at the cage. As the fighters kept avoiding the monster's attacks and attacking the crystal cage, the monster eventually was on the brink of collapsing as its cage was starting to show cracks on its surface.

"Final blow!" Robin yelled as everyone jumped out of the way to watch out for the final blast from the Blight Grima's four arms. "Thoron!" With a stream of lightning hitting the monster's cage, R.O.B. and Mr. Game & Watch jumped out of the way, watching as the Blight Grima fell to the ground. As everyone cheered for their victory, the crystal cage broke, revealing a warrior made entirely out of Shadow Bugs. Unsheathing a flaming chainsaw sword, the possessed fighter glared at the others with a look of rage and flew right towards them.

Duck Hunt started running in, pulling out a rusty can and started kicking it, an 8-bit reticle aiming and firing at the metal gunpowder-filled can. As soon as the reticle and the can hit each other at the Shadow Bug fighter, it caused a fiery explosion which knocked him back. Once he got back up, he grabbed ahold of Robin. The Shadow Bug fighter's hands turned into vicious, man-eating claws, slashing and jabbing at the tactician. Pit flew into his rescue using Palutena's Power of Flight. Grabbing his Upperdash Arm, the white-garmented angel whacked the Shadow Bug fighter in the head, releasing Robin of his grabbed state. The stranger got up, releasing a long spear-like weapon from his hand that stabbed the ground, causing him to fly with a nasty kick towards Olimar and Mr. Game & Watch. The two fighters jumped out of the way just in time, leaving the Shadow Bug fighter open for a flurry of attacks from Donkey Kong. Once the gorilla landed the last hit, the Shadow Bug fighter felt himself Falcon Punched right in the chest by Captain Falcon, giving him a nasty burn by the deadly final blow. As the stranger's body fell down stone-cold, the Shadow Bugs that surrounded him retreated away with the wind, leaving only their victim's trophy behind.

Duck Hunt started sniffing the trophy's base, wondering what to do with the kinky prize from the warrior's former self. Once the duck started poking the dog in confusion of what to do, the bird flew on top of the side of the base, not even knowing the help of another fighter can reanimate the said fighter. Once the duck felt the base was starting to disappear, he flew back onto the dog's back as the other fighters saw who they just saved. As they observed, the fighter they rescued had silver hair with brown-red eyes and slightly vertical pupils. He was wearing silver-white armor mixed with velvety black, and his blue cape flowed behind him. He showed he had only bare feet, and his golden chainsaw sword, the Yato Blade, was glowing a crimson-pink mist.

"…What the… What happened to me?" the stranger asked.

"It's okay, stranger," Robin answered. "You safe with us now."

"We've been noticing we've dealt a few heavy blows on you when you were possessed," Pit said, rubbing his aching neck.

"Possessed?" the stranger asked.

"Oh, yeah… right…" Pit stammered. "You've been taken over by Shadow Bugs and… It's a long story, basically. Anyway, what's your name? I'm Pit, captain of Lady Palutena's guard."

"My name's Corrin, Prince of Hoshido and Nohr," the stranger answered.

"How come you're the prince of TWO kingdoms?" Peach asked.

"Well, all I remember is my birth started the war between two nations, forcing me to go into hiding when I was forced to make a life-changing decision," Corrin answered.

"Well, we'll all have to make a choice, someday," Marth answered.

"Yeah, like we're forced to find our friends in an event that'll destroy not only this world but ours as well," Ike butted in. "And if we don't rescue them now and prepare for the final battle, we'll be stuck here enslaved, never knowing of the worlds that were destroyed in the making and rebuilding of the Great Maze."

"So, you're participating in a life-changing crisis that'll end both worlds as you know it?" Corrin asked. "Do you mind if I join you? These… Subspace monsters are spawning everywhere, making their numbers more powerful."

"I guess you could come along," Peach answered. "But… how'll we get to Sonic and his buddies in time before the monsters do?"

"Leave that to me," Corrin answered. Before any of the fighters could ask him, the half-dragon prince transformed himself into a winged, reptilian beast, his face completely changed with small antlers.

"How could you do that?" Pit asked in wonder.

Corrin in his dragon form spat out a gush of water on the ground, spelling out, "I'm a half-dragon so I can transform into one at will. Come on. I'll take you to the direction you were heading to. Thanks for saving me, BTW." While Corrin was talking this whole time, Ike was away, fully dressed in the clothing he wore back when he was a teenager. No one questioned why the sudden change, but time was running low, so there was not enough to ask.

"Let's get going then," Ike answered in his younger self, pulling out the Ragnell and jumping on the half-dragon's back. The fighters who couldn't fly all got on Corrin's back, and both Pit and Duck Hunt were the only ones who passed, for even though the dog was the heavier one of the two in the Duck Hunt gang, the duck was still able to fly and carry the mutt fast enough to catch up to the others. Corrin then took off into the sky with the Big Blue Group, followed by Pit and Duck Hunt, flying off to the northwest.

* * *

As time went by, the Wolfen Assault Group with the Wii Fit Trainer got to the edge of the Subspace Army's base camp, hiding in plain sight. The fighters watched from the distance as they saw M. Bison demand the Fire Primids a way in as they opened the gate doors.

"Never really liked the guy anyway," Wii Fit Trainer sighed. "We're going to have to break our way in, no matter what it takes to get what we need."

"What are we looking for again," Falco asked, tired off his ass.

"We need to find where they're keeping your friends, remember?" Wii Fit Trainer answered in the form of a question.

"How do we break in?" Ness asked, Pikachu cuddling close to him.

"Simply attacking the monsters is what we don't do anymore," Wii Fit Trainer answered. "Right now, we'll have to break in through sneaking pastures."

"She's right," Fox said. "Simply attacking the monsters won't be enough. It's the cameras we have to worry about." When the fighters gazed out of the bushes, they saw two surveillance cameras pinned to the sides of the gate.

"These devices have 360-degree cameras, always on 24/7," Wii Fit Trainer answered. "No matter what we do, we'll always get caught by whatever powerful monster comes to our heads and be in serious trouble. The only way we could get in is if someone is powerful enough to bust in and break the security system, and not just through hacking. Not even the best of code-breakers could disable it. You'll have to literally destroy it with brutal force."

"I think that could be arranged," Ganondorf spoke from a short distance. When the other fighters turned their heads, they saw Ganondorf was hiding in the bushes this whole time, giving himself a new look. As the fighters observed, Ganondorf now has a pointier nose, longer red hair, and clothes that really styled a Gerudo chief. His long, red cape decorated with gold draped over his back, and he was wielding a thick, rusty sword.

"What do you think?" Ganondorf boasted. "With a few companions, we'll break in in no time! Fox! Ness! You're with me! Everyone else wait outside until we get us all in." The Gerudo chief put away his thick-ended sword, bringing Fox McCloud and Ness along with him.

"Shouldn't we think of a way to break in without being spotted?" Ness asked.

"That's the whole idea of this world," Ganondorf answered. "We never do." The three recruited warriors jumped out of the bushes, landing in front of the Fire Primids, who noticed them. Fox grabbed his blaster and fired at one of the Fire Primids before it could even launch a flame, and Ganondorf beheaded the other before it could contact the others with a special alarm it carried. The cameras picked up everything, but Ness used his baseball bat and whacked the devices, breaking their screens and causing them to malfunction and combust.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Ganondorf asked the other two fighters.

"Those cameras might have already picked up the footage while we were attacking the guards," Fox answered. "Any moment now, security is gonna come in and mess us up. We have to get in there and fast." The three fighters nodded, looking back at their hiding place before breaking the steel door down. As the recruited teammates were heading down the Subspace base that Wii Fit Trainer described, Ness thought he could try talking to Ganondorf.

"So, do you know anything about your past?" Ness asked. "Ten years have passed, and the only fighters we know that haven't been transformed are already having contact with this Smash Ball already in our time of need."

"I was the King of Evil back when I thought I was working for the Master Hand," Ganondorf answered. "Ten years ago, I was driven by greed for Hyrule's domain, but I didn't know why until today. Once we find out where are friends are, I can guarantee you I won't try to murder another important species again."

"That's why you're you clarified you're evil," Fox interrupted. "You don't care who you kill, as long as you get your way."

"When I killed the Ancients ten years ago," Ganondorf went on, "I didn't know WHY I did it. Maybe it's because Tabuu no longer saw a use for them and so wiped them out in the most gruesome way imaginable…"

"Guys, do you hear something?" Ness asked, lowering his voice. From what the three fighters heard in the walls, they heard heavy punches and kicks, and unholy screams from the monsters.

"Over here!" Fox cried. He was already running off in the hallway, with Ness and Ganondorf following him. When they came across a gallery of doors, they kicked down the one where the noise was the loudest. There, in the chaos, they saw a martial artist, barefoot, wearing a red headband on his forehead and keeping up his black hair. His sweating torso and six-pack were showing through his white, torn-up robe, all barefoot as shown by his ragged pants and black belt.

"Shinku Hadoken!" the stranger yelled as he clasped his hand and formed a massive fireball, launching it at certain monsters, such as the Giant UFOs and the Octoroks, and burning them. He then felt himself zapped by an incoming Glunder, but he used his Focus Punch and stopped the Subspace monster dead in its tracks. As all of the creatures in the room were cleared, the stranger looked at Ganondorf, Fox, and Ness at the door's frame.

"I didn't notice you were here this whole time," the stranger said, removing the headband just to wipe his head.

"So, let me get this straight," Ganondorf asked. "You're here the same way we got in? To disable the security to force the Subspace Army to lose connection with the other bases and find out who's captured so you can help them escape?"

"That what you guys are trying to do as well?" the stranger answered in the form of another question, tying his red headband onto his forehead again. "Guess we're looking for the same thing. The monks I was trained with called me Ryu, the tireless wanderer. And you must be?"

"I'm Fox McCloud," Fox answered. "This is Ganondorf, the ex-King of Darkness and chief of the Gerudo who reign in the Black Desert Valley. The boy we have here is Ness, and he's special with his psychic powers."

"Mind if I join you?" Ryu asked. "I've been looking for a way out ever since I got in. These monsters are planning something, and whatever it is can't be good."

"Never is," Ness replied. Then, as the recruited teammates were walking out of the room to look for a way into the security facility, the Subspace computer sounded out throughout the hallway.

"WARNING! WARNING! Intruders have breached the facility. Please report to suspects immediately… located within the main door gallery," the Subspace computer echoed. Shadow Bugs and Miitopian monsters leaked out of the vents, surrounding the four fighters.

"Looks like we'll have to fight our way into the security chamber," Ganondorf said. "Sure hope the others outside are okay…"

Waiting in the bushes outside the gate, Falco Lombardi was watching as he saw the area was completely empty.

"They've been gone for too long," Falco told the others. "Besides, nothing has happened ever since they busted in."

"But Ganondorf and his companions told us to wait here, no matter what happens," Wii Fit Trainer objected. "At least until the lights are off, we're not going to break in just yet."

"You know how much I love a good danger," Falco answered. "Even if we all have to face one of the worst monsters yet, I'll still be able to break in no problemo…" Before Falco could finish, a tiny earthquake that nobody noticed rumbled. A small rock landed on the dirt, but it was sharp enough to poke a creature that had lain dormant for a long time. The rustling of the bushes parted way for a massive Clubberskull, who just so happened to find their hiding spot outside the gateway as the other fighters looked up in fright.

"Spoke too soon," Falco mumbled. Pikachu, Diddy Kong, Kirby, King Dedede, Yoshi, and Luigi all cried in fear.

"Run, everybody! RUN!" Luigi cried. The Clubberskull let out an unnatural roar, scaring the fighters out of their hiding spot. Since it was powered by Shadow Bugs, it almost felt impossible to beat the monster, as Falco tested with his blaster and reflector. The Wolfen Assault Group started running off, trying to lose the fast, diabolical beast. Its two heavy arms dug deep in the ground, causing massive shakes that attempted to stun the fighters, but they jumped just in time. Primids stood in their way, ready to attack, but the Wolfen Assault Group threw them right in the Clubberskull's only eye. Eventually, the fighters saw their only chance of escape was through the Subspace military jets and copters but realized the metal fence surrounding it was powered with volts so deadly even Pikachu couldn't handle them.

The Clubberskull jumped in front of the fighters, slamming its arms and not even realizing it ripped a way through. As the Clubberskull didn't even feel shockingly deadly bolts of lightning surge through its gruesome body, the Wolfen Assault Group ran towards a Subspace copter, kicking the Primids out. Once Falco got the copter running in the air, he steered it out of the area as the Clubberskull jumped again, slamming its fists onto almost all of the now-demolished aircrafts. Diddy Kong grabbed the machine gun at the side of the jump pad of the copter, firing away at the Clubberskull. Once the beast noticed the Wolfen Assault Group was getting away in a copter, the Clubberskull started smashing through half of the Subspace base, sounding off an alarm. All sorts of Primids tried to pin down the Clubberskull with grappling hooks with tasers attached to them, but the beast started swinging the creatures back and forth, scratching the walls.

"I'm gonna go get the others!" Falco cried.

"It's too late!" Luigi objected. "The base is gonna blow up in a few seconds, and we'll lose not only the friends we had before but the friends we have now!"

"Gonna try anyway!" Falco repeated. "Falco Lombardi to Fox McCloud! Do you read me? Over!"

Inside the base, Ganondorf, Ryu, Fox, and Ness were attacking the monsters with whatever equipment they had, trying to save their friends from the incoming Giant UFOs that will abduct them and take them far away. Fox noticed his communicator was receiving transmission, so he pressed the receiver button on his headset.

"Fox McCloud to Falco Lombardi! I hear you! Over!" Fox yelled.

"I'm gonna blast a way in! Over!" Falco said over his headset. The rest of the Wolfen Assault Group saw the surviving Primids got in fighter jets of their own ready to fire at the copter.

"No use, Falco!" Fox yelled as the monsters whaled in on the group. "We'll bust the security and you get outta here! Besides, these walls are impenetrable! You did your best. Hope we'll meet again another time… Over…"

"No time for giving up!" Ryu yelled as he used his Shoryuken on an Ancient Robot. "There's gotta be a way in to break us out!" In the copter, Kirby watched as the Subspace jets were about to fire at them. With his cuddly powers, the pink puffball created out of the pureness of his heart a Star Allies Sparkler. Wearing a heart-shaped visor, Kirby, with a squeal, helped everyone in the copter to get on the creation he made. Once the jets fired missiles at the copter, the Star Allies Sparkler flew out of the midair explosion with everyone on it. With a star-shaped blast, Kirby released out of his mouth a beam to melt a hole into the roof. Ganondorf, Ryu, Fox, and Ness all saw their way out, and so jumped out of the cooling-off hole and onto the Star Allies Sparkler. The Giant UFOs flew in to stop them, but Kirby launched another blast to blow the Miitopia monsters out of the sky, flying off into the distance.

"How did Kirby do that?" Fox asked Falco.

"I dunno," Falco answered. "Always best not to either underestimate or ask the little guy." Kirby turned towards the recruited Wolfen Assault Group, smiling at them as the Subspace base blew up right behind them.

"Where do we go from here?" Ryu asked everyone. "We don't have any info on where any prisoners might be, and I'm just stuck with you in the middle of nowhere."

"Poyo!" Kirby peeped.

"Pika!" Pikachu chimed.

"We'll be going somewhere, all right," Wii Fit Trainer said. "To the place where it all began… the main tower next to the Ruins of the Ancients: the Yggdrasil." When the fighters looked from a distance, they saw the tower they were heading to was big enough to spot from a very far journey, but the Star Allies Sparkler that Kirby mysteriously made would get them there in no time.


	14. Pt 14: The City of The Darkest Fears

Heading down south, Dr. Mario, Sheik, Samus, Toon Link, and Villager were looking for whatever friends they could reunite with. Just as soon as they went over the last hill in the forest, the fighters saw a crash-landed jet submerged deep in the ground. As soon as the replicates and Villager lifted the cockpit hood, they saw what appeared to be Snake, Ice Climbers, Wolf, Pokémon Trainer with Ivysaur and Squirtle, Young Link, and Pichu. Dragging their unconscious bodies outside, the fighters carried them far off from the exploding jet.

Snake rubbed his eyes, looking at the new faces he's seen.

"…Mario? Link? Zelda? Zero Suit?" Snake moaned. The soldier got up, rubbing his face. "The hell happened to you guys? Who the hell is this kid you brought with you?"

Wolf, straightening his uniform, looked at the new faces he came across. Red kept Ivysaur and Squirtle out of their Pokéballs just to see what they're looking at here. Young Link slowly creeped towards Toon Link, the two of them mimicking each other like from a mirror.

"Sorry for first introductions," Dr. Mario stammered. "I'm-a Dr. Mario, and this here's Samus, Sheik, Toon Link, and Villager."

"I recognize most of them," Snake answered.

"We noticed you're the friends our original masters talked about," Sheik said. "Is there, by chance, any reason why your jet crashed?"

"It started when we had just escaped our prison," Popo answered. "We had just busted out, and a short while later, there was a blast that knocked our jet here!"

"Did you catch the suspect?" Toon Link asked.

"We took a GOOD look at him," Nana answered.

"Where is he now?" Sheik asked. Villager, Pichu, and Young Link looked at the crashed jet, terrified. The other fighters didn't notice what they were really staring at.

"He's… right there… in front of us…" Young Link stammered. The fighters looked at the rubble, noticing the one creature crazy enough to destroy their jet was none other than Ridley. The scratch marks on the hull and the tail whips with the remaining fire explained everything. The beast was to blame.

"Ridley!" Samus said. "Thought you were dead for good, though you're a lot smaller than I remembered…"

"It was all thanks to an accident from one of the so-called 'Tabuu worshipers'," Ridley hissed. "I noticed everything changed around here, and I just wanted to have a little fun."

"By destroying our only chance out of the Subspace Army?" Snake interrupted.

"Hey!" Ridley objected. "It was self-defense!"

"Just tell us why you're here," Red asked, Squirtle and Ivysaur at his side.

"I want to settle a few scores on people who double-crossed me in the past," Ridley answered.

"Which means…?" Samus asked.

"They ruined my life ever since they resurrected me!" Ridley roared. "Ten years, I had been waiting for a moment to get revenge, but I noticed… things have changed… Before I came back to life, I was greeted with something far more precious than gold or jewels, like I was destined with something…"

"Okay, we've heard enough of the monster's lies," Samus said, loading her arm cannon.

"Wait, girl!" Snake objected, standing in front of her. "This could mean one of the Smash Balls everyone's talking about. Don't you think so? They may have all sorts of monsters on their side, but we a Ridley. Isn't it great to finally meet one of the big guns?"

"Out of my way, serpent," Samus replied, "unless I have to get through you too. Literally."

"Don't you know WHY you want to kill me?" Ridley asked, trembling. "The destined object was probably leading me to join you. I have no idea why… I just never had a friend before…" Samus lowered her weapon, giving the other fighters a sigh of relief. Just then, Samus quickly picked up her arm cannon and fired, but not at the last Space Pirate. Instead, she only scrapped the tip of his right wing, aiming at something else. The other fighters looked at the area Samus fired, noticing a body was lying down on the soft grass in the black-red sky. When he got up, it was revealed to be Shadow Mewtwo, though he was moving like he never slept in days: jittery and afraid.

"You were trying to attack us," Samus remarked as she walked towards the wounded Pokémon, who noticed he was charging a Shadow Ball.

"It's not my fault!" Shadow Mewtwo telepathized in fear. "L-listen! There's a device… a map to its location hidden deep within the city of Civiltatula… only then can you release me from my… deepest n-nightmares…" Shadow Mewtwo started crawling backwards on his back, the other fighters looking at each other.

"Looks like he's in pain," Young Link said.

"You think?" Toon Link said. Before any of the other fighters could figure out what was up with Shadow Mewtwo, they heard laughing from a distance.

"How conspicuous, Shadow Mewtwo," the voice echoed. "No matter how many times you run from me, the Phantom Ruby will target the Shadow Synergy Stone and lead me to some fresh meat…" The stranger preforming the voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere, creating red, pixelated mist around him. The fighters started taking their stances, Ridley scraping the ground with his claws.

"Stay away from this, whoever you are!" Sheik yelled, rubbing her golden accessories.

"I'm not here for a simple fight, buffoons," the stranger replied, hovering in the air.

"You're one of the guys who attacked us back when we first arrived in the Ruins of the Ancients!" Snake replied, holding a loaded gun.

"Correct you are," the stranger replied, staring at Shadow Mewtwo. "You may call me Infinite, in the brief moments that remain of you."

"Don't be getting too soft, Infinite," Samus objected. "Tell us, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just here for my friend," Infinite answered. "He seems so lonely."

"He's in pain, you idiot!" Snake replied. "He wants that Shadow Synergy Stone removed, and we'll be taking him to a device that'll bring him back to the Pokémon he once was."

"Now, how are we going to provide for the Subspace Army without more Shadow Bugs?" Infinite replied. "Of course, if you really want to get to Civiltatula, you'll head to the Black City in the far northeast. If you really want to see your Shadow Mewtwo alive and well, I'll take good care of him while you run. Flee, screaming for mercy, and I'll let you live…"

"Don't trust you," Snake replied. As he looked at Shadow Mewtwo again, he noticed, along with the other fighters, that the Pokémon vanished during the conversation.

"Now look what you've done," Infinite replied in anger. "You've stalled me so that my prize could get away…"

"What?" Nana asked. "No we didn't."

"You're wasting my time, mortals," Infinite said, charging up a red plasma ball. "Time to die." With a blast from the red plasma ball, Infinite made sure the Phantom Ruby was a heat-tracker. The plasma ball was targeting Samus, but she curled up into a ball and rolled away just in time. The explosion which was generated by the plasma ball started generating into a red, pixelated arena, all sealed inside a transparent dome, trapping the warriors inside.

"Welcome to the boss level," Infinite echoed, "where I am in charge of the rules. And I will summon whatever I like." Ridley flew into the air to grab ahold of Infinite, but the masked jackal spawned cubes out of nowhere which thrusted right at him. They were coming in fast, but Ridley managed to dodge them all just in time before being hit by one, starting to get strangled by strange tentacles from the arena's treadmill floor. The illusion that Infinite created seemed like the fighters were running fast towards him in a prison treadmill, when really they were trapped in one place. Infinite started firing Phantom Bricks at Toon Link and Young Link, who were running towards him while everyone else was avoiding the chaos created by the masked jackal. Young Link was blocking the deadly blows while Toon Link used his clawshot and hooked onto Infinite's tail, lifting himself up. Once Infinite noticed someone was locked onto him, Toon Link landed on his face, whacking the masked jackal with his Master Sword. The fighter's enemy was lowered enough for Young Link to jump onto Infinite, pinning him to the ground and jabbing at the Phantom Ruby with his Kokiri Sword.

Infinite grabbed ahold of Young Link, creating more Phantom Bricks and knocking Young Link off. Infinite then created holograms of heat-tracking missiles. The holographic missiles started flying towards the fighters who were still dealing with giant tentacles made from the Phantom Bricks. Samus noticed the missiles that were incoming, so she teamed up with Pichu and Ridley, avoiding those that were targeting them. Pichu then started using Thunder on Infinite, summoning a lightning cloud to zap him. Once Infinite was stunned, Ridley flew in and started clawing the jackal's face. The Phantom Ruby was starting to show a small crack on its surface, so Dr. Mario avoided more of the Phantom Brick tentacles and holographic missiles. Running as fast as he could to outrun the treadmill, the doctor jumped high enough to grab the jackal's leg. While Villager was fighting off more of the chaos created by Infinite, he noticed the jackal was being strong enough to sustain attacks from the rest of the gang and still keep in control of all the racket. Infinite then created another bundle of holographic missiles, and they all flew towards Villager. As soon as Snake started throwing grenades and Wolf blasts form his gun, Villager jumped over the missiles and pocketed one, throwing it back at Infinite. The blast obstructed the jackal's view, causing some of the tentacles, Phantom Bricks, and even part of the treadmill arena to vanish like a glitch found in a computer.

"Go, Ivysaur! Go, Squirtle!" Red yelled, pinned to the back of the sides while avoiding the tentacles. Ivysaur and Squirtle started firing their elemental powers at Infinite while the Ice Climbers hopped to and fro between the obstacles to whack their icy hammers in the masked jackal's face. As soon as Infinite was down to the ground, the arena almost disappearing, Ridley flew in with a fiery blast, slashing and clawing the wielder of the Phantom Ruby. Weakened, Infinite slowly got up, noticing the Phantom Ruby on his chest was starting to crack.

"Well, I guess this is what you get for trying," Infinite scoffed. The fighters ran towards him as soon as the arena vanished, ready to attack again.

"Nice job for beating me so far," Infinite told the fighters. "This isn't the end, however. It'll be coming… very soon…" With a menacing laugh, Infinite warped out of the zone, leaving only a fragment of the Phantom Ruby. Samus picked it up, noticing the piece of the Shadow Synergy Stone that was next to it at that time. The bounty hunter slowly made the two touch, noticing the spark of life they're creating. As soon as the two shards were placed together, a small, white flower bloomed right below her feet, followed by the two fragments disappearing.

"If what these two beings say is true about being related to one another, that could mean doom for us all," Samus told the others. "Ridley, sorry about trying to kill you like you did ten years ago…"

"Sorry for being a lying brat," Ridley answered. "We'll have to get to Civiltatula and find that map to the special machine at all costs. I've heard it could replicate your long-lost memories and cast out any evil that has possessed you. Before, all we had to do is simply beat the vessel of the Shadow Bugs, but since times have changed, we'll just have to do it the hard way by heading into the forbidden city."

"Let's-a get going then," Dr. Mario said. The half of the Prime Ship Group then started walking off, into the city of the darkest fears.

*location skip

As the sky turned so dark that not even the black-red cloud of the Subspace Army was visible, the rain started pouring heavily in the middle of the night. The thin fog started rolling in, but the neon lights were shining bright enough to go through the mist. Walking on the streets was a lone person, looking mighty sad. She was wearing pink shows with cyan laces, black shorts with a white t-shirt with strange language written on it, and she had a bright orange hairstyle that resembled a lot like a squid. Her eyes were surrounded by a small, dark band, and she had orange pupils and pointed ears. The strange-looking squid girl looked around the empty place, afraid of any monsters to come attack her, for she had no weapon to defend herself. Hearing an incoming spaceship, she looked up into the air to notice the prison ship hovering over the area. Running as fast as she could, the squid girl hid in a street alley behind the trash cans. Three figures dropped from the ship, looking around for any prisoners. They were none other than the Mii Fighters in their new uniforms as the Ultimates Reborn. They all had metallic breathers with large glowing goggles of their favorite color, and they were wearing black camo hoodies with the shape of the Master Core with the Smash Ball imprinted on their backs, still exposing their hair without the hood. The Brawler Ultimate Reborn had a red imprint, the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn a dark blue, and the Gunner Ultimate Reborn a yellow imprint. Looking around, a small group of Primids with multicolored ink-filled tanks and guns dropped from the ship.

"Looks like it's all clear, but don't be fooled by appearances," the Brawler Ultimate Reborn said.

"Whatever you do, keep a low profile and terrorize as much as you can," the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn told the Primids.

"Capture whatever prisoners you could find and report when you're done clearing the area," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn ordered. Just like that, the three Ultimates Reborn jumped back onto the prison ship and flew off, leaving the Primids to search the area. The squid girl accidently knocked over a trash can while peeking over to see what was going on, and only one Primid heard the noise from the alley. The daemonic creature shuffled towards the noise, the Splattershot in its hands. The squid girl suddenly transformed into her cephalopod form, camouflaging her orange body in the multi-colored trash.

While the Primid was looking around for the cause of the noise, the orange squid quietly squirmed out of the trash, transforming back to her humanoid form. Not making a noise, the squid girl put the Primid in a headlock, strangling the monster. Just as the Primid was about to fire its Splattershot, the squid girl threw the creature behind her, grabbed the handle of the tank's gun, and blasted the Primid's brains out with Shadow Bug-colored ink. Slipping the Splattershot off the dead Primid's back, the squid girl put the device on, and the ink inside it transformed into the color same as her squid-like hair. Then, the squid girl noticed the other Primids heard the noise coming from the alley. As soon as the squid girl heard the incoming shuffles, she threw a pyramid-shaped Splat Bomb right in front of the monsters. Once she walked out, all that was left was orange ink covering Shadow Bug-bleeding bodies. Looking off into the distance, the squid girl saw the prison ship heading to the tallest tower in the city, where it met up with the Winged Firestorm Mini.

 _That'll teach those monsters not to mess with the Inklings' technology,_ the squid girl chirped in her own language. _I'm going to be getting those plans for the devices if it's the last thing I'll ever do. I'm heading off for the Olympius._ Clicking her Splattershot, the Inkling transformed into her squid self and swam through the ink, emerging at the other side of the road where more Subspace monsters were waiting for her. The Inkling took out a Splat Roller and started charging at the incoming Autolances, burying them in the ground and splatting their heads off. Incoming Scope Primids perched on the rooftops, firing at Inkling. The squid girl noticed where the yellow shots were coming from, and used her Super Jump move to hop onto the roofs and use her Splattershot to fire at the Primids. She jumped back onto the street to continue attacking rival Octoling clones created from Shadow Bugs, their eyes glowing red. As she avoided the enemy ink, she covered it with her own and swiftly swam past the enemies, planting another Splat Bomb behind them.

"Woomy!" the Inkling chirped, looking behind the desolation she caused to her rivals. Just then, she saw an incoming truck speeding past her, and it was also heading towards the tower she was running towards. Creating an ink path with her Splattershot, Inkling turned into her squid form and started swimming in the ink towards her destination. However, before she was about to catch up with the truck in another alley, something or someone ran right over her. The Inkling immediately jumped out, turning back into her normal form and clasping over her Splattershot. When she looked at who or what kicked her out of the ink trail, she saw what appeared to be Sonic, Meta Knight, Bayonetta, Palutena, Dark Pit, Lucas, Charizard, Little Mac, Shulk, and Rosalina & Luma.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Sonic said once he felt something he ran over. As the blue hedgehog and the other fighters looked behind, they saw the orange-haired squid girl getting up.

"Sorry, miss," Sonic said as he helped Inkling up. "Didn't see you there since it's so dark…"

"How could you not see her incoming?" Shulk asked the blue hedgehog. "There was an ink trail right in front of you…"

"I guess you're right…" Sonic replied, rubbing the back of his head before turning towards the squid girl. "Hey… you must be one of the Inklings we were searching for, right?" The squid girl muttered in her language, which consisted of "strange fish dialogue".

"Any idea what she's saying?" Dark Pit remarked.

"She could probably understand our language and several others but not say it," Palutena answered. Inkling grabbed her Splattershot again and looked for a clear area to spread her ink. Firing at one of the building's walls, she managed to make a small mark. The squid girl then walked over, writing something in the ink with her finger. When she was finished, she spelled out the word "Clementine" whist pointing to herself.

"Clementine, huh?" Bayonetta replied. "That's your name?"

Clementine chirped while nodding.

"So, Clementine," Sonic asked, "do you think you could translate these?" The blue hedgehog handed Inkling the blueprints they had before, trying to keep them dry from the heavy rain. Charizard unfurled his right wing to keep the prints dry as the squid girl observed. Giving the blueprints back to Sonic and the others, Clementine ran back to the ink splatter on the building wall, writing another message.

"I've seen those devices before," the writing spelled out while Inkling was chirping. "It was hidden in the tallest tower, deep in the center of the city, along with my species' technology. The Subspace Army call it the Olympius."

"Do you think you could take us there?" Meta Knight asked. "You are pretty much skilled with distant combat, according to your Splattershot."

The Inkling pulled out her Splattershot, pointing to the direction of the tower.

 _Let's do this, boys! Let's blow up the Olympius and weaken the Subspace Army!_ Clementine chirped in her own language before running off.

"What'd she say?" Little Mac asked.

"I have no idea," Sonic replied before heading off as well. Charizard growled as he was trying to keep the tip of his tail nice and dry from the rain. Lucas managed to come in and create a mini PSI Magnet to protect the Pokémon's tail tip.

"Just in case you don't wanna die from the extinguished flame," Lucas said. Charizard growled in thanks, flying off towards the fighters who have gone ahead of them with Lucas following him. Running off into the streets, Inkling started chirping again, waiting for the truck from before. Once the vehicle drove past them, Clementine grabbed the back of the truck, signifying the others to jump on. Sonic grabbed onto Inkling's legs first, followed by Bayonetta, Little Mac, Shulk, Charizard, Lucas, Rosalina with her Luma, Palutena, and Dark Pit. Everyone held on for dear life as the truck was driving crazy-fast. Grabbing onto a ladder, the Inkling pulled everyone up, safe and sound. As they were on the roof of the truck, Octoling soldier clones and Feyeshes with Mite and Generators dropped out from the sky, all while music from the truck played. The catchy lyrics were loud enough to be heard from the fighters, and they went something like this:

 _Here we go, off the rails_

 _Don't you know it's time to raise our sails?_

 _It's freedom like you never knew_

 _Don't need bags, or a pass_

 _Say the word, I'll be there in a flash_

 _You could say my hat is off to you_

 _Oh, we can zoom all the way to the moon_

 _From this great wide wacky world_

 _Jump with me, grab coins with me_

 _Oh yeah!_

 _It's time to jump up in the air (Jump up in the air)_

 _Jump up, don't be scared (Jump up, don't be scared)_

 _Jump up and your cares will soar away (oohoohooh)_

 _And if the dark clouds start to swirl (Dark clouds start to swirl)_

 _Don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause_

 _I'll be your 1UP Girl_

 _So let's all jump up super high (Jump up super high)_

 _High up in the sky (High up in the sky)_

 _There's no power-up like dancing_

 _You know that you're my superstar (You're my superstar)_

 _No one else can take me this far_

 _I'm flipping the switch_

 _Get ready for this_

 _Oh, let's do the odyssey!_

 _Odyssey, ya see! (x7)_

 _Odyssey, odyssey!_

 _Spin the wheel, take a chance_

 _Every journey starts a new romance_

 _A new world's calling out to you_

 _Take a turn, off the path_

 _Find a new addition to the cast_

 _You know that any captain needs a crew_

 _Take it in stride as you move, side to side_

 _They're just different points of view_

 _Jump with me, grab coins with me_

 _Oh yeah!_

 _Come on and jump up in the air (Jump up in the air)_

 _Jump without a care (Jump without a care)_

 _Jump up 'cause you know that I'll be there_

 _And if you find you're short on joy (Find you're short on joy)_

 _Don't fret, just don't forget that_

 _You're still our 1UP Boy_

 _So go on, straighten up your cap (Straighten up your cap)_

 _Let your toes begin to tap (Toes begin to tap)_

 _This rhythm is a power 'shroom_

 _Don't forget you're the superstar (You're the superstar)_

 _No one else can make it this far_

 _Put a comb through that 'stache_

 _Now you've got panache_

 _Oh, let's do the odyssey!_

 _It's time to jump up in the air (Jump up in the air)_

 _Jump up, don't be scared (Jump up don't be scared)_

 _Jump up and your cares will soar away (oohoohooh)_

 _And if the dark clouds start to swirl (Dark clouds start to swirl)_

 _Don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause_

 _I'll be your 1UP Girl_

 _Now listen all you boys and girls (All you boys and girls)_

 _All around the world (All around the world)_

 _Don't be afraid to get up and move_

 _You know that we're all superstars (We're all superstars)_

 _We're the ones who've made it this far_

 _Put a smile on that face_

 _There's no time to waste_

 _Oh, let's do the odyssey!_

While the song was playing, a Winged Firestorm flew above the truck, raining Shadow Bugs on its roof. Big Primids and Metal Primids started forming, and Auroros with Bombeds hopped onto the top of the truck. The truck started passing through a cloud of natural amaranthine gas. Once the fighters breathed it in, they felt themselves taking more damage by the minute.

"Always hated amaranthine gas from the beginning," Sonic said.

"We gotta be careful, then," Lucas replied. Inkling then tossed a Splat Bomb, blowing up the first wave of Shadow Bug monsters. The incoming monsters started running towards Sonic, trying to grab him. Rosalina suddenly flew to his rescue, using the Star Bits from her Luma and slicing few of the Metal Primids open.

"Y'know, Rose, I would have ran from the situation safe and sound and attack with one of my Spin Dashes," Sonic told Rosalina.

"I was making sure you weren't hurt, if that's okay," Rosalina answered.

"Right…" Sonic muttered as he jumped into the air, using his Homing Attack at a Bombed that has Lucas cornered. After hitting its head, Sonic covered Lucas from the explosion as Meta Knight flew in, warping behind the Big Primids and cutting their heads off with his Galaxia Sword. Little Mac started punching the Auroros, counter-attacking the amaranthine gas in the air even if the Bombeds with their big explosions didn't touch him. Charizard released a puff of fire, burning the air and suffocating the Metal Primids, making them drop like bugs. After minutes of fighting in the large amaranthine gas cloud, the fighters were all exhausted from the critical damage, but they won against the monsters. Once the song that was playing finished, the amaranthine gas cloud vanished, and the black-red sky was clear enough to show that the truck was driving to the Olympius.

"Almost there," Meta Knight replied. "Once we find a way in, we'll burn this place to the ground so that none of this precious technology is in the hands of those creatures." Before the truck could pass through the tower's driveway, a shadowed figure flew from the sky, so fast it collided with the truck in a fiery blast and knocked everyone off. Sonic stirred up, looking at who or what smashed into them. After everyone got up, they saw what appeared to be Dr. Mario, Sheik, Samus, Toon Link, Villager, Snake, Pokémon Trainer with Ivysaur and Squirtle, Wolf, Ice Climbers, Snake, Pichu, and Young Link all riding Ridley. The fighters on the last Space Pirate jumped off, eager to greet everyone they missed.

"…Snake? Wolf? Red? Popo and Nana?" Lucas wept. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE ALL DEAD!" The blond-haired PSI boy ran towards the gang that they went with to the Ruins of the Ancients, giving them a big group hug. Charizard stirred up to find out the old gang they traveled with is all right, rushing towards Red and nuzzling him in relief.

"Good to see you're alive, Charizard," Red cried. Ivysaur and Squirtle walked right next to the fire Pokémon, ready to be brought back into their Pokéballs. The Pokémon Trainer bounced his three Pokéballs and drew Charizard, Squirtle, and Ivysaur in, placing them in his pocket. Dark Pit was taking a look at Snake, wondering who that person is.

"Nice job with the emo look, Pitty," Snake giggled. "You decide to go dark all of a sudden?"

"It's Pittoo- I mean, Dark Pit," Pittoo snarled, his face red from embarrassment. Rosalina and Bayonetta walked to his side to meet these new companions.

"I'm sure our new guest didn't mean any harm," Bayonetta replied. "Which might make a good bodyguard, if you know what I'm saying…"

"I think I know what you mean," Snake replied, glaring at Cereza with a cheeky look.

"Wolf!" Sonic cheered as he hugged his old companion. "Like the new look, especially the eyepatch. I like the new uniform you brought with you to the Ancients, especially with the metallic legs Fox and Falco have now."

"What about the Ultimates?" Meta Knight asked everyone. "What happened to them?"

"…We… sorta killed them off…" Young Link replied.

"And their children are out for vengeance," Ridley butted in. "I dunno what happened, but it looks like some science experiment that brought back their long-lost voices…"

"Children?" Sonic replied. "The Ultimates had children? That were tested for their voices? What do they want? Revenge on you guys? Who the hell brought Ridley with these people!?"

"Easy… easy…" Dr. Mario said as he was calming down the hot-headed hedgehog. "He's a friend, okay? Nothing to get upset about… if we could figure out WHY he suddenly decided to become one of us… Is it because of his now-small size?" Clementine the Inkling slowly walked towards the Space Pirate, rubbing his rough skin while chirping.

"How did you guys survive?" Rosalina asked, hugging the Luma.

"Probably escaped…" Palutena replied. Before any of the fighters could continue with anything, the truck behind them exploded, and Bowser Jr. was crawling out with his damaged Koopa Clown Car and a dead Primid.

"Thanks a lot, you morons!" Bowser Jr. wailed. "Now my special delivery package is ruined and you had to fight to my favorite music and blow up the truck! How am I gonna explain this one to Papa…?"

"…Papa?" Nana asked, holding hands with Popo.

"Apparently, the little wimp is Bowser's only son," Sonic answered. "Dunno what happened to his mother after his birth…"

"Enough you LOSERS!" Bowser Jr. yelled. "Prepare and suffer the wrath of my new buddy: DJ Octavio – leader of the Octoling clan and expert partier!"

"What do you mean?" Emerging from the burning truck, a giant DJ box flew out, revealing a big, purple octopus with a golden-and-black cap on his head, covered in swag jewelry and surrounded by reeks. He placed his tentacles on the stereo, mixing a mad jam.

"Be seeing you, if you survive, that is!" Bowser Jr. laughed, flying off on his Koopa Clown Car. The fighters looked up into the air to fight the octopus DJ. Emerging from the DJ box, two metallic fists attached by chains flew out, covered in purple ink. Clementine saw the fists flying towards her first, and she immediately started shooting before they touched her. Sonic jumped up into the air and started spindashing, avoiding the enemy ink from the falling bombs. Grabbing onto Dr. Mario with his clawshot, Toon Link spun the doctor at the killer octopus DJ, slamming the fighter in Octavio's face.

As Dr. Mario was landing shocking punches at DJ Octavio, Pichu crawled onto the stuck fists and started using its electric powers, and since metal's a good conductor of electricity, it easily passed through the chains and traveled freely. The enemy ink on the ground was slowing and damaging fighters like the Ice Climbers and Wolf down, but they took good aim with their projectiles. DJ Octavio finally threw Dr. Mario out of the robot, firing Splat Bombs everywhere and creating a colorful explosion. As the party lights kept shining, everyone started getting temporarily blind from the bright seizures. Bayonetta and Snake quickly shut their eyes, firing their guns at the octopus DJ. The Octarian then started flying into the air, launching rocket fists at everyone. Dodging out of the way, Young Link teamed up with Villager and reflected/pocketed the incoming Splat Bombs and tossing it back at DJ Octavio. After the killer octopus DJ was starting to become weak, Sonic the Hedgehog home-attacked DJ Octavio as the final blow. Once the robot stereo was about to explode with colorful, deadly ink, so Palutena quickly tossed out a manhole cover she found on the road so that everyone could hide from the blast. Once the machine exploded, all the fighters jumped into the sewage hole, safe and sound.

"Finally," Sonic said. "We're away from those little creeps."

"Booyah!" Inkling chirped.

"Now, all we have to do is travel in these dark sewers that will probably lead us to some sort of vent passage," Sonic replied, walking forward to the direction of the Olympius. "Let's just hope some giant turtles that have studied ninjutsu don't pop out of nowhere and surprise us." Clementine and Dark Pit looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"How do you know we'll be at some sort of way in the tower?" Meta Knight asked.

"I'm sure Sonic knows," Palutena replied.

"Yeah, when you've been gone from your homeworld for ten years, some of your friends have probably been kidnapped as Assist Trophies, and all your memories have been wiped out by the crazy rules of the world, some dumb crap is definitely on the rise in the blue rat's brain," Snake lamented.

"Hey, you don't know what I have to go through after ten years of the Subspace Army's disappearance," Sonic objected, turning his head to face everyone behind him. "I had to tell every little detail of your guys' backstories, and now I'm on the run with the people I cared about all because I'm the first one that has discovered a Smash Ball that is slowly bringing fractions of the ultimate power back and returning much of your memories. By the way, what does it feel like to turn into a trophy?"

"…It kinda feels… strange…" Samus replied. "Almost like you're in a dream. You suddenly remember everything that had happened in your past, but you're kept in a world where you forget the people you encountered as an empty… accessory…"

"Sorta like an inanimate toy that has been long forgotten, not even knowing that he's playing by a story," Sonic resounded. The group stopped, thinking about what Sonic said by that. They slowly took a moment of looking at each other before heading off to the direction they think would lead them to the tower.

*location skip

Cloud, Mario, Link, Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus already made their way towards the Subspace base. However, once they arrived, they saw from all the demolishment and the giant Clubberskull corpse that someone was already there before them.

"Great," Mario replied. "How are we gonna know which monsters that Subspace Army is going to make next?" Link took a patch of soil, placing it on his Sheikah Slate. The tablet measured the compounds in the soil, calculating and beeping with a result. When Link brushed the dirt off the Sheikah Slate, he showed the Prime Ship Group the image portrayed from the DNA in the area.

"We will," Link replied, looking at an image of the Star Allies Sparkler that Kirby created, calculating the direction it went to next. "We will…"


	15. Pt 15: The Origin of Tabuu

Flying in the air, Corrin with the Falcon Flyer Group on his back tried to target Validar and the Grima spirit that possessed the evil mage. However, the black-red cloud kept fogging up in the northwest, and it was rather distracting, especially for one of the fighters having enhanced eyesight. Eventually, it was so dark that none of the warriors could see anything once they whacked some sort of flying object. Fighters, young and old, were falling from the sky, unconscious after a vast, star-shaped explosion. After falling for what seemed like an eternity, Corrin in his normal form grew his dragon wings and started grabbing whoever was in the air, even though it was hard to see. The weight eventually kept him falling, but the half-dragon prince was strong enough to slow the landing, falling into some sort of barren landscape in the middle of nowhere, where the air was neither hot nor cold… almost like there was no life at all.

R.O.B. stirred up, rubbing his circuits. He then looked around, noticing that the new-looking Ganondorf was lying unconscious next to him. The Gerudo King got up, looking at R.O.B. and seeing that the ex-Ancient Minister was all right. The Duck Hunt dog was sniffing Wii Fit Trainer, while Diddy Kong hugged and high-fived Donkey Kong. The Falcon Flyer Group reunited with the Wolfen Assault Group.

"Boy, am I glad to see everyone's alive!" Pit cried, hugging Kirby. "By the way, what happened to Sonic on your side?"

"We were just going to ask you where's Meta Knight," Fox replied. The recruited groups looked at each other, knowing that maybe their friends left for a reason.

"Meta Knight had to leave for fear of being hunted," Ike answered.

"Strange," Falco replied. "Last time we had Sonic, he had to leave for looking for the rest of our friends, and the typical blue rodent forgot that running faster than the speed of sound won't leave any footprints."

"I'm just glad everyone's safe and sound," Peach replied, hugging Luigi. "Pray tell, Luigi, do you know what happened to your brother?"

"I dunno," Luigi wept. "He and his buddies are probably gone, and we don't even know where they're at… Maybe they're dead, looking for those who went to the Ruins of the Ancients… Sorry…" However, the only thing that mattered was that Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Bowser, Falco, Marth, Ganondorf, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit, Wario, Ike, Diddy Kong, King Dedede, Olimar, Lucario, R.O.B., Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, Duck Hunt, Ryu, and Corrin are perfectly fine. Suddenly, out of the blue, the biggest ship that had ever appeared flew right over the fighters.

This piece of incredible work was made to replicate similar to the biggest weapon ever created by the Subspace Army: the Gunship. This city utopian-like spaceship has its main power supply attached to its seven multiple cannons, and it was a diamond white in color. Emerging from the Gunship copy, the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 flew onto the ground, shaking off some of its Shadow Bugs. The three Ultimates Reborn jumped out of its stomach latch, brushing their weapons.

"Now, now, baby," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn said to the metal dragon. "Don't want to pick your wounds if you're gonna heal them off." The machine growled as it belched a small army of mutated Primids, all of them standing in place as they looked at the fighters. The three Ultimates Reborn wiped their dusty hands on their black hoodies, pressing the only button on each of their masks and transforming them into special headsets so that their faces could be revealed.

"Like what you see?" the Brawler Ultimate spoke, pointing upwards at the futuristic city weapon. "We call it 'The Legacy'. If you're looking for Validar, he's hiding in there. We were hoping it could somehow copy what the Gunship did: tear literal holes in space by firing extremely powerful lasers."

"…Seen worse," Ganondorf teased. The three Ultimates Reborn looked surprised.

"Are you… mocking our work, oh King of Darkness?" the Brawler Ultimate asked.

"Maybe," Ganondorf replied.

"Wait, so you're telling me you guys can talk?" Falco asked. "Didn't you already tell us you had these thought translators attached to your cloaks or whatever?"

"The ones you called the Ultimates are dead," the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn answered. "We're their successors, the Ultimates Reborn, and we will start a new age in the Mii Fighter clan by bringing back the voices that were stolen from us long ago!"

"Voices really aren't a big deal," Captain Falcon replied. "Some of the fighters we have here could barely talk."

"The very land you stand in used to belong to our people," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn lamented. "Niflheim and Muspelheim extinguished long ago, but the pit Ginnungagap still stands as a memorial of our old nation." As the fighters looked around, they saw right in front of them behind the small Subspace Army was a huge pit that seemed to go on forever, marking the old home of the Mii Fighters.

"What are you gonna do?" Ike replied in a scoff tone. "Send another big baddie to fight us to the death, no matter what the cost?" The three Ultimates Reborn snapped their fingers, and the mutated Primids collapsed into Shadow Bugs, clustering together into a huge blob. The blob faded, revealing a cyborg body, mixed with light purple, blue, and pink fused to each other. Robotic limbs showed giant fists, swords, and guns from three pairs of arms. Three heads were on the top of the combined torso, revealing the Duon heads on the sides – the blue head on the right and the pink head on the left – and Galleom's head in the middle.

"Galleom? Duon?" Ness asked. "What happened to them?"

"We had the Shadow Bugs make a little prototype for one of our biggest monsters yet," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn replied. "Jotun, show these pests how you do things around here." The three Ultimates Reborn then pressed the button on each of their headsets, making them transform back into their masks, and jumped back inside the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 before taking off into the air.

"Oh, and by the way," the Brawler Ultimate Reborn spoke on the metallic dragon's speakers, "we'll be making a pit-stop at the Yggdrasil. Thought we might pack up for the epic battle." The Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 then flew back to the Legacy, taking off to the direction of the Yggdrasil. Jotun then started growling at the two groups, roaring with an unnatural growl.

The first phase was involved with stomping on the ground and burying his opponents, shooting missiles, propelled uppercut, and charging forward quickly. Fox and Falco started charging their blasters and reflectors, avoiding the mines and the slamming limbs. Pikachu and Jigglypuff used their special moves, rolling into the cyborg's steel body, dealing massive damage.

The three-headed cyborg was too slow to avoid the destruction from the fighters: Robin and Corrin teaming together with Marth and Ike by unleashing powerful projectiles, Ryu and Ganondorf kicking with heavy knockback, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi launching whatever trick was up their sleeves. It was pretty much a bit of a sausage fest. However, when it was a solid victory for everyone, giant bones suddenly emerged from the ground, surrounding the two reunited groups. Jotun was under some sort of control, almost like a ghost possessed the cyborg, since its body was starting to glow blue. Through chaotic methods, the cyborg suddenly developed a will of his own, the heads' eyes glowing gold. Unholy fire emerged from Jotun's six sockets, and a voice spoke like someone else was taking control. The fighters all stopped to see what was about to happen.

 _It's a lovely day outside,_ the voice spoke from Jotun.

 _Birds are singing, flowers are blooming,_

 _On days like these, kid like you…_

 _SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL._

Lifting up its six arms, blue magic surrounded the bones, pushing the giant bones to the side. They eventually came in massive waves, and it was just only the beginning of the chaos. It seemed like it was going to be over since they were coming in so fast, but suddenly, a fiery slash cut through the obstacles. After all the fighters got up, they saw a red-haired warrior, cloaked in blue and wielding a flaming sword.

"Thought you might need help," the stranger said.

"…Roy?" Marth asked. "I somehow remember you, even though we… never met…"

 _How nice,_ the voice spoke from Jotun. _A family reunion in the day of your doom. Time for all you love to be put behind the past and wiped out… since "to die" is pretty cliché…_ Swarms of bones emerged from underground and up above, transforming into battering rams. Roy and Marth jumped up into the air, landing on top of the possessed cyborg. They started lashing at the three heads, counter-attacking the heat-tracking missiles and mines.

"Guess I was wrong when I said the Ultimates Reborn weren't gonna unleash one of our biggest enemies yet," Ike replied to everyone he knew.

"Now's not a good time!" Lucario yelled. With an Aura Sphere, the Pokémon with Pikachu and Jigglypuff avoided the flying bones, lashing greatly at the cyborg's crumbling body. Shadow Bugs were starting to fall from Galleom and Duon's fused bodies, revealing another figure trapped within with only a few tiny holes. From the gun arms, Jotun fired monster heads at Pit and Kirby. However, the white-clothed angel and the pink puffball dodged out of the collision. The monster faces eventually got up and began charging powerful lasers. Pit immediately grabbed Kirby and flew out of the way. The two fighters flew behind the three-headed cyborg, slicing and kicking the machine powering the combined bodies. Jotun was starting to become weak as more waves of bones flew in fast, hitting most of the warriors.

 _You hurt me, you hurt Jotun-boi,_ the voice spoke from the three-headed cyborg, pieces of the metallic body showing more of the glowing figure trapped in the fused bodies. Jotun then flew up into the air, releasing a rain of swords, limbs, and monster faces that shot powerful lasers. The possessed Jotun suddenly started digging into the ground, unleashing large gemstones that exploded on impact. As the fighters were avoiding the corundum rain, Wii Fit Trainer and Duck Hunt brought out their footbags and clay pigeons, whacking the three-headed cyborg more. As Jotun's body started cracking, the glowing blue figure was shown more, weakening the half-robot beast.

"One more hit should do it!" Fox yelled. The anamorphic pilot then teamed up with Falco and the two of them created a fire blast that launched themselves at Jotun's three heads, burning and exposing their soot-black skulls. Everyone jumped into the air to stop the creature that was unleashed inside the cyborg as they avoided the deadly missiles and mines.

"Falcon Punch!" Captain Falcon yelled as he delivered the final blow to Jotun's fused chests. After accepting defeat, the three-headed cyborg fell dead to the ground. Eventually, emerging from the corpse was a glowing blue figure, half-transparent and moving with a cheerful attitude, almost like the Master Hand's twin, the Crazy Hand. From bottom to the top, the figure had ragged blue jeans with red sneakers completely different from Sonic's, and they had rusted cuffs attached to them with the chains broken. The stranger had a long tail as bushy as a squirrel's, and he was draped with a black shirt with a blue, torn-up hoodie tied across his waist, along with a nasty scar on his chest. He was carrying a backpack that had a large, raven-like bird with cubic, black-and-grey dragon wings nestled deep inside it. The stranger's right hand was long and scissor-like; his other hand was rusted and dull, having blue shovel tips for his fingers; the both of them had the bracelets from the rusted shackles that had seemed to have the chain broken off long ago, just like the legs. His head was entirely black, other than showing the crimson red hair that went into a purple-tipped ponytail that behaved like a third arm at the back and frosted-tip cowlicks at the front of his bangs. It looked like he had no face, but when he dragged his right forefinger across the area of his mouth, it shown the invisible socket was crying small streams of blood, his long mouth had jagged teeth with a forked tongue, and his left eye had a yellow, pixelated iris.

 _Worthless thing,_ the glowing-blue stranger complained, cursing at the three-headed cyborg's dead body. _You had one job, stupid!_ The mischievous trickster then shot blue lightning from the palms of his hands, reducing Jotun's corpse to no more than Shadow Bugs that flew off into the wind. When the other fighters saw what they were looking at, they stared at him, confused.

 _What?_ the trickster hissed. _You've never seen an all-powerful being before? Wait, wait, don't tell me… you've probably already been interacting with beings as dangerous as I am… Just thinking about all the DEAD time they've gone through… C'mon, that's funny. They were dead and they're back from the dead, so they're working on a dead-end job… Okay, I get it. I'm bad with these puns…_

"Need to have a sense of humor before you can lose it," Ganondorf replied. "And just who do you think you are?"

 _What is with these people and not having proper introductions?_ the stranger teased. _I go by a lot of names, but I'm simply referred to as "Indie"._

"Indie?" Pit asked.

 _I was basically created after the ones that were rejected by the Subspace Army were tossed out for their own neglect,_ Indie lamented. _The anger in their souls had risen to a point where it bursted out with their laughter, forming a twisted, deviant trickster – ME. I was waiting for my time to shine and join the Subspace Army for many years, watching them, but I never found a way until now._ Indie's bird-like creature poked out from his backpack, cawing for attention as the trickster's third ponytail arm pushed it back into the backpack. _Hopefully it wouldn't make Infinite jealous about another being that can control space and time, though I'm completely different from him._

"Who's this Infinite guy, and why should we care about your twisted words?" Falco objected. "We'll be heading over to the Yggdrasil to put an end to the constant thriving of the Subspace Army, and we'll fly into the gateway to Subspace and bring Tabuu and his kind to extinction!"

 _So, you wanna hope onto the Legacy and stop their plans, huh?_ Indie giggled. _Well, if you really want to stop them…_ Indie then formed an arena made entirely out of giant bones, flying high into the air and cornering everyone in the two reunited group with its monster head lasers.

… _You'll have to go through me,_ Indie resumed. The trickster started raising large skeleton hands out of the ground, clawing and causing hot nuts and bolts to fly. Donkey Kong and Yoshi were the first to go ahead, running past the fast-emerging skeleton hands and iron-hot rain, Yoshi started whacking Indie with eggs that exploded on impact, while Donkey Kong delivered slow-but-heavy punches. However, it wasn't enough to make Indie flinch. Everyone knew they needed something to really hurt, so they thought that they could simply attack him by throwing whatever they got. While DK and Yoshi were hitting Indie, Ganondorf, Ryu, and Ike were watching out for the lasers that seemed to come out at random from the floating monster heads as they ran towards the trickster. Peach hopped on their heads, grabbing her Toad and squeezing him hard enough to unleash spores on the skeleton hands that retreated back into the ground.

While Indie was laughing like a maniac, Captain Falcon, Marth, Roy, and R.O.B. tried to avoid the crushing bone pillars that was an instant death for anyone who was below them. Once they were stuck, Captain Falcon started wall-jumping, followed by R.O.B. carrying Roy and Marth on his back while he was using his built-in rocket propellers. After they got to the top, Indie was waiting for them, firing large missiles at the fighters who were at the top. Marth and Roy avoided the attacks while Captain Falcon and R.O.B. fell to the ground from the explosion, but the two swordsmen were suddenly grabbed by Indie's ponytail arm and thrown into Fox and Pikachu. Falco and Mr. Game & Watch began running towards the trickster, but Indie pulled out spear-like bones, glazing them with flammable red juices stored in his chest wound before setting them on fire. Luigi, Jigglypuff, and Ness began footstooling on each other, trying to reach the trickster. The spear-like bones started raining down from up above, sticking into the ground and creating flame pillars seconds later. Indie then touched-down on the dirt and turned his arms into cannons, firing madly at everyone on the ground. Avoiding the explosive projectiles, Wario, Diddy Kong, and King Dedede zoomed on Wario's motorbike while Diddy Kong and King Dedede launched peanuts, banana peels, and Gordos at Indie. The trickster then flew high into the air once again, creating thunder from his fingertips that zapped the now-metal ground on impact.

Pit and Kirby with Robin and Corrin joined Olimar as they jumped into the air whilst attacking Indie, everyone avoiding touching the ground until the zapping was over. Once the thunder was gone, the fighters saw that the trickster was starting to become tired, probably because all the unlimited power was wearing him out. So, without reason, the fighters kept telling Indie to keep attacking them with all his powers, but he was growing so weary that he eventually fell onto the ground, stunned, leaving him open to attacks. After everyone kept wailing on him, the final blow was delivered from one of the fighters, launching Indie out of the disappearing arena and into the vacant pit of Ginnungagap. Once the bone arena vanished, the fighters ran towards the edge of the giant pit, watching Indie fly out with his trusty pet hidden in his backpack.

 _Nice try winning against me, morons!_ Indie cackled. _Wait till Sephiroth and the gang hear about this one!_ Flying off to the slow-moving Legacy, Indie with his pet took off to the ship, ready to be departing to the Yggdrasil. Corrin turned into his dragon form, while Kirby once again created the Star Allies Sparkler so that those who can't fly can get on.

"First Validar, now THIS guy!" Marth complained, sitting on Corrin's dragon back. "Will the fighting ever stop?"

"As long as Tabuu commands these armies, it's never over," Fox answered, positioning himself on the Star Allies Sparkler. With Pit taking off into the skies, Corrin's dragon form and the Star Allies Sparkler with everyone on the two transports started flying off to the Legacy, which was slowly starting to jump into hyperdrive to its next destination.

On the ship, the three Ultimate Reborn were at the main control room, looking over the Primids working the constant shift. Sephiroth walked over to them, tucking in his only wing.

"So, how does it feel taking control over the entire Subspace Army, Ultimates Reborn?" Sephiroth asked the three children of the Ultimates.

"Feels like we're entirely new," the Brawler Ultimate Reborn spoke. "However, we've been thinking about some of the fighters we've encountered, and they're almost just as powerful as we are-"

"Your Highnesses," one of the genetically engineered Mii Fighters spoke. "Infinite just reported he found someone outside our borders, a being with almost as much potential as he does…" Infinite warped in, grabbing Indie by the neck.

"State your business, wimp!" Infinite ordered Indie, squeezing the trickster's neck harder.

 _I'm not here to take over your ship, idiot!_ Indie coughed. _I had been waiting for my chance to become part of the Subspace Army, and here I am!_

"You reek of fear, Indie, god of parallel dimensions," Infinite lamented, reading the trickster's mind. "I'll let you go, but only if you do exactly what we command you to do…" Infinite then let go of Indie's neck, and the collapsed trickster kept coughing until his throat was clear. Sephiroth and the Ultimates Reborn looked at the stranger struggling to get up.

 _Don't think this is over, weakling,_ Indie teased, rubbing his black neck.

"I am NOT weak," Infinite growled, and pulled out a jagged dagger with a red stone on its handle, stabbing Indie. Before any of the Subspace Army leaders could do anything, Indie just laughed, revealing that he immediately shifted his body in a way that the masked jackal wouldn't kill him.

"Had I been any faster, you would've been dead," Infinite growled while Indie still laughed. Sephiroth placed a hand on the jackal's shoulder, calming Infinite down. Just then, the Subspace Army followers heard a call from Bowser Jr. at the city of Civiltatula. The ship's computer displayed Bowser Jr. making the call, with the robot stereo he was delivering to the Olympius burning behind him.

"What happened?" the Gunner Ultimate Reborn asked.

"Well, Sonic and his buddies crashed into the delivery," Bowser Jr. replied over the call, ducking from the leftover explosion. "DJ Octavio tried to stop them, but now they're trapped in the sewers, looking a way into the tower…"

 _Better hurry then,_ Indie laughed. _They'll be destroying those new inventions we stole from Hella's notes any moment now…_

"They are!?" Bowser Jr. exclaimed. "All that hard work will be burning at the hands of those morons!? I'd better stop them!"

 _You can't do it alone, kid!_ Indie giggled.

"Who are you one to judge?" Bowser Jr. asked.

"Yeah, what gives you the right to give a child orders?" the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn.

 _I'm just saying if you hurry, Infinite will have a little gift for you,_ Indie giggled.

"What are you talking about?" Infinite asked. Indie tilted his head, his left eye gleaming with yellow pixels. "How do you know all this?"

 _I can stare into time and space,_ Indie replied. _Why? Didn't Dr. Eggman program that little Phantom Ruby of yours to do such a thing? You can read minds like Shadow Mewtwo, you know…_

"You sneaky, little…" Infinite snarled as he lunged himself towards Indie, but Sephiroth grabbed him just in time.

"I think the mischievous trickster is right for once," Sephiroth said. "You can create virtual imagery as powerful as the real thing, right? So, all you have to do is warp yourself over to Bowser Jr. while he calls in troops. We'll be studying this… Indie person a while longer and see what he's capable of, whether he's like or different from Shadow Mewtwo and Infinite combined…" The godlike trickster started doing backflips in the air, hovering while he was preforming those tricks. Infinite brushed his Phantom Ruby, which was slightly cracked.

"Fine," Infinite growled with a less salty attitude, looking at Indie with a mad glare. "But you better not get any ideas, Indie!" Infinite then warped out of the area, leaving the Subspace Army group. As Bowser Jr. hung up, the Legacy jumped into hyperdrive, leaving the area of Ginnungagap. Just then, M. Bison barged into the control room, along with Morpho Knight.

"Sephiroth! Ultimates Reborn!" Morpho Knight said. "Intruders have boarded the Legacy."

"They were the same people that blew up the last Subspace Base I went to," M. Bison replied. "Well, most of them, anyway…" Validar ran into the room as well as everyone looked at the dark mage.

"…I was just about to warn you people…" Validar replied.

"Enough about this," the Brawler Ultimate Reborn ordered. "Morpho Knight, set up the traps around the perimeter, outside and in!"

"M. Bison, you're capable of the heavy combat if anything gets in!" the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn replied.

"Validar, contact the guns to fire at any intruders on sight," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn ordered. "And don't come back until they're exterminated!" Sephiroth walked in, wondering what he should do since he is the one-winged angel and the son of Jenova.

"…And what do you think I should be capable of?" Sephiroth asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

"You could look after both the Subspace Army and the Mii Fighters," the Brawler Ultimate Reborn replied. "Make sure nothing ever happens to them, no matter what happens." The three Ultimates Reborn then walked off, leaving Sephiroth and the Primids controlling the computer alone in the room.

"I'm sure I will, kids," Sephiroth giggled. "I'm sure I will. It's Tabuu's orders, after all…"

*location skip

At the borders of Civiltatula, Shadow Mewtwo kept teleporting around all sorts of buildings, suddenly sensing that Infinite is coming. The Pokémon's pupils contracted as his head started hurting, trying to cut off the Shadow Synergy Stone. Suddenly, he saw that Cloud, Mario, Link, Zero Suit Samus, and Zelda were just outside the city borders.

Link was trying to adjust his Sheikah Slate since he had no idea how the device works, and this sort of technology was new to him. Cloud was grabbing the handle of his Buster Sword, ready to pull it out when he sees an attacking enemy. Zelda and Zero Suit Samus stood back-to-back, with Mario wiping his forehead and fanning himself with his cap.

"Looks like this kinky thing has some bugs," Link said. "Probably took us to a place we don't know yet… Why did I choose to use a weapon I have no idea it works…?"

"Over here!" Cloud yelled, pulling out his Buster Sword. The 1st-class SOLDIER suddenly spotted Shadow Mewtwo in his hiding spot, and the other four fighters saw the Pokémon was trying to fly away from them, unleashing Shadow Balls and Disable moves. As the fighters were running towards the Pokémon, Shadow Mewtwo used his telekinesis powers by flinging Boom Primids and Scope Primids at the fighters. Beginning to use their projectiles, the warriors noticed he was using Confusion to reflect their attacks, so they jumped out of the way. As Shadow Mewtwo was approaching the Olympius, the Pokémon thought he was safe and sound until a strange figure jumped on him from the darkness. Cloud, Link, Zelda, Zero Suit Samus, and Mario all looked at the stranger standing on Shadow Mewtwo, grabbing the legendary Pokémon by the neck. As the city lights started flashing again, the stranger was shown to be a blue, frog-like creature with webbed appendages, bubbled skin, and a long tongue wrapped around its neck.

"Grenin," the creature croaked as it threw Shadow Mewtwo onto the ground.

"One of the Greninja type, are you?" Shadow Mewtwo telepathized as the Pokémon waddled closer to him, along with the other five fighters. "Once Tabuu has gained full power, you can't stop him… No one can…" Just like that, Shadow Mewtwo warped into the building, leaving all the other fighters to follow in after him.

Deep inside the Olympius, Sonic and his team were squirming around in the vent dock, just like the blue hedgehog said which was connected to the sewage passage. Once the blue hedgehog kicked over an air vent, he jumped down, followed by Dr. Mario, Sheik, Samus, Toon Link, Young Link, Pichu, Wolf, Snake, Pokémon Trainer, Ice Climbers, Ridley, Lucas, Little Mac, Palutena, Dark Pit, Bayonetta, Shulk, Rosalina & Luma, and Inkling, who were all struggling following one after the other. Once all the fighters were inside, the blue hedgehog took a good look around the area.

"…Seems awfully quiet…" Sonic said, holding the jar with Faker the Shadow Bug. "I know these types of scenarios; everytime you're in a quiet place, some powerful monster is going to show up…"

"A little too quiet, if you ask me," Bayonetta replied. "Almost like the place seems deserted. Let's just loot the place and burn whatever's not important."

"That's hugely disrespectful," Snake objected. "Stealing loot when it should be studied is illegal and anyone who thinks otherwise could spend a lifetime in prison followed by execution."

"Snake's-a right," Dr. Mario said. "We need some of this technology to save this Shadow Mewtwo. Once we grab the special device the Pokémon said is hidden somewhere, we can use it to find a way to save the Pokémon from the Shadow Synergy Stone and turn him back to normal. Simple as that, right?"

"Unless he 'accidently' kills us first," Samus answered. Just then, Shadow Mewtwo warped right in front of everyone, aching in pain as the Shadow Synergy Stone projected a message from above the Olympius. Infinite was in charge of the transmission, revealing Bowser Jr. and the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0.

"Surprised to see me, idiots?" Bowser Jr. said over the transmission. "A little birdie flew over me, telling me to give you people a BIG surprise. You'll have to head to the top of the tower to find out what it is. Until then, see y'all later!" The transmission ended, followed by Shadow Mewtwo immediately disappearing from the area. All that remained was a special headset connected to a heartpacer which was supposed to be the device that might help Shadow Mewtwo. Sonic then grabbed the device and put it in his quills along with Faker's jar.

"Now all we need to do is find a way to the top and see what Bowser Jr. has in store for us this time," Sonic told everyone in his group. "And with Infinite by his side, it looks like it's going to be something dangerous…" Everyone started taking the stairs, running to the roof of the Olympius. Just when they got to the top, where they could almost touch the black-red clouds, Bowser Jr. was waiting for them, all alone.

"So… you all want the surprise, huh?" Bowser Jr. giggled.

"No time for jokes," Meta Knight snarled. "Where is the trap you've set for us?"

"It's here, alright," Bowser Jr. answered. "But you'll have to fight me in order to get your reward." Bowser Jr. then pushed a few buttons, setting his Koopa Clown Car to "Attack Mode". Bowser Jr. then started driving towards everyone, who all jumped out of the way from his vehicle's drill arms. Sonic was the only one to start spindashing at the Koopa Prince's head, but the blue hedgehog immediately felt the pain from the Smash Ball jerk up through his body again. As his body was giving off a rainbow hue, Sonic started growling.

"Not now, vision!" Sonic groaned. However, it was too late, as Sonic's eyes started glowing white once again, and he was suspended in the air, untouchable. Bowser Jr. tried to grab him, but since his Koopa Clown Car was stuck on "Attack Mode", there was nothing he could do but keep fighting. Bowser Jr. then began pulling out cannonballs from the vehicle's mouth, firing at warriors like Pichu and Dr. Mario. The two warriors, followed by Snake and the Ice Climbers, began throwing whatever they've got at the spoiled brat. It was difficult without Sonic, but they managed to weaken Bowser Jr.

"(huff puff)," Bowser Jr. panted. "You got… me… I would try to escape on the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0, which the Ultimates Reborn have lent me the usage of its powers by my voice command, but I'm terribly tired out at the moment. So, the best I can do is let Infinite summon Jotun while his forces attack you. Okay, Infinite!" The masked jackal hovered in the air, sending down the new and improved three-headed Jotun born from the combined bodies of Galleom and Duon from the prison ship Kin.

"Finish them," Bowser Jr. growled at Jotun, pointing at the panting fighters. As soon as Jotun began charging a powerful laser, it was suddenly hit by something in the air. The only two warriors to notice it were Clementine and Pittoo, who looked up to see a blue figure dropping out from the sky, warping in by a blue beam. The figure was revealed to be a highly-advanced android with the capability of free-will thinking and human emotions, coated in blue titanium. Changing his left arm to a cannon, the robot started unleashing a leaf shield that it used on Jotun, scratching the cyborg's body. It looked at Bowser Jr., relaxing and trying to squirm out of the battle so he could rest, and pointed right at him.

"Hold it right there, kid!" the android spoke. "Don't think this is a battle you could get away from!" The other fighters looked at the stranger, and even Jotun stopped to see who's with them.

"Who do you think you are?" Dark Pit asked.

"My scientific name is Rockman, but I'm known as Mega Man," the android answered.

"Who cares about your name?" Bowser Jr. asked in pants. "Jotun, attack those freaks. I'm gonna have a nap. As for Infinite, do something, like kidnap the blue rat…" As the Koopa Prince was sleeping in his Koopa Clown Car, Infinite was just about to grab Sonic and take him away with the other Subspace Army troops on his side. Meta Knight, while fighting Jotun with the other fighters, looked up and saw Sonic in his Smash Ball vision phase was in trouble, so the swordsman took off into the air and started lashing at the masked jackal. While Infinite was blocking the flurry of attacks from Meta Knight, Inking and Mega Man looked up in the air while avoiding the attacks.

 _Meta Knight's not gonna stay in the air for very long,_ Inkling chirped.

"We have to help these creatures then!" Mega Man replied, for he was programmed to understand any language that was spoken to him. The two fighters from a safe distance from Jotun while everyone else was attacking the cyborg launched bombs at Infinite and his troops. The masked jackal tried to aim down below and kill off the warriors threatening to defeat him, but Meta Knight kept delivering a flurry of jabs from his sword, watching out for the incoming Primids, even though he was showing signs of fatigue. Vast explosions appeared around the area from Jotun, and the Subspace troops began launching tasers at Meta Knight and Sonic while bombs from Mega Man and Inkling were surrounding them. While all the chaos was going on, the blue hedgehog was greeted with another vision of Hella, the girl he somehow knows…

 _Waiting just outside the Arcadium,_ Hella's voice rang out, _the Master Core was bringing all the warriors in his arena to him in the empty fields, for he had seen a vision of his downfall._ Sonic, his body glowing with multiple colors, his eyes gleaming gold, and the Smash Ball fused to his chest, watched as the Master Core assembled all of his creations and prisoners to a vast meadow, where the overpassing clouds floated above, arranged in a way that made the sun look like the Smash Ball itself. Shadows were cast on the ground to reveal Hella in her new form, where she was wearing advanced battle armor surrounding her body like an exoskeleton. She was equipped with chains of light, and her cape unfurled like butterfly wings. As she was twirling her weapons, more Shadow Bugs she created out of wrath fell from the sky in a black-red cloud that formed above her, transforming into peculiar beings not from Arcadia, the World of Trophies, at all. Other creatures were whipped by the Primids to join her side, twisted and tormented to be part of her army. Dropping from flying hovercraft were the Ancients and Mii Fighters, wielding technology that made them part of Hella's army.

"Hella, what have you done?" the Master Core boomed.

"Like what you see?" Hella asked. "These Shadow Bugs, which I have created, have been made into new life: Primids. They're dangerous on their own and unstoppable together. They can just simply shift forms into more powerful beings, but I wouldn't bother right now. However, I have a little trick up my sleeve through some new weapon I've devised, and it's all based of your weaknesses. Ancient Minister, Ancient Ultimates, show the Master Core what I mean..." The four leaders each grabbed special cannons, shaped like dragon heads. With a careful aim and a quick press of the trigger, they all fired at random warriors on the Master Core's side, turning them into nothing more than trophies. Once the prizes fell onto the ground, everyone was shocked and were slowly backing away in fear. Sonic the Hedgehog watched as all the scenario was taking place, understanding EVERYTHING.

 _Those are Dark Cannons!_ Sonic exclaimed. _Now I see what's going on… This is the origin of Tabuu, our main enemy… but… why? Why his backstory?_

"The Dark Cannons are powered by something I like to call Off-Waves," Hella answered. "This is what you get when you don't listen to reason and reality, Master Core!"

"I will not stand for this foolishness anymore," the Master Core spoke. "Warriors of Arcadia, attack this imposturous traitor!" All the fighters on the Master Core's side readied their weapons, but Hella simply snapped her fingers, bringing in a large metallic sphere with a red "X" on it. Two of the Ancients stood on both sides, and they pulled it out, revealing a black hole with a timer at the bottom, set to two minutes.

"I wouldn't be so sure, oh Ruler of Trophies," Hella objected. "Powered by the limbs of Ancients only, I have devised a new weapon that will open the gateway to a new life: Subspace. I have found a dimension where you can do whatever you want and create your own rules. All I have to do is destroy everything you love. I have all the power, Master Core. I am… Tabuu, the Construct God, and everyone will bow down to me and bask in my former glory. The Ancients will be destroyed by the explosion, the Mii Fighters might have some sort of alternate mind, the Primids and creatures I've enslaved for my own will might be reduced to Shadow Bugs, but hey: someone's got to take a risk, right?" The Subspace Army cheered, watching as Hella brought out her Chains of Light, slashing at the trophy statues and reducing them to rubble. The fighters on Master Core's side were terrified at the horrible action she had performed, and she simply blew the leftover dust from her weapons.

"Enough of these crazy choices!" Master Core yelled. The black entity then pointed towards Hella, ready to sacrifice everything. "Kill her! Don't let anything stand in your way!" The fighters all started charging towards Hella, the Ancients, the Mii Fighters, and the Subspace Army, ready to die for a greater cause. As the timer on the Subspace Bomb was ticking down, the two sides were slashing recklessly at everyone. Blood and Shadow Bugs spilled on the field's grass, withering the luscious landscape into a war zone in a matter of seconds, and every fraction of the time that passed involved the Primids and monsters weakening a fighter, a Dark Cannon firing at said fighter and reducing him/her into a trophy, and Hella bringing out her weapons to destroy the trophies and kill the fighters. As the Master Core saw that his army was waning and the Subspace Army was waxing with leftover trophies possessed by Shadow Bugs, the black entity saw that it was all over for him.

All the warriors he had collected for a long time were dead, and the Subspace Army was threatening to take over his land – alter his rules.

"From now on, your death will change this land," the Master Core commanded as he was releasing powerful lasers and blasts, all blocked by Hella's sword-like weapon as she was approaching towards him. The black-haired girl then unfurled her butterfly wings, jumping into the air and whipping out her Chains of Light. She threw the pointed tips right into the Master Core, pulling at the true weakness he held inside – a darkened Smash Ball as his only soul vessel. Once she yanked it out, the Master Core's Swarms started swirling around, reducing him to only a floating, white appendence that resembled a right hand – the Master Hand. As the Hand of Creation, weak and trembling, slowly got up, he felt himself latched on with the Chains of Light as Hella cracked open the darkened Smash Ball. Hidden deep inside was the pure essence of day and night, sun and moon, good and evil, yin and yang… the Final Smash. The timer on the Subspace Bomb was almost up, and the Master Hand was still chained to the ground. Hella started flying off while the Primids and monsters stayed behind to accept their deaths. The Ancients knew that what was about to happen was slavery, and the Mii Fighters knew that something of value would be lost involving themselves and their homes. Regardless, both species got into their hovercrafts and flew off.

As the two Ancients powering the Subspace Bomb looked at each other in bravery, the Subspace Bomb eventually exploded into a black-purple blast, covering the entire field. The Master Hand was feeling the magic of the dimension pull him in and permanently make him part of it. Following the gateway opening to Subspace was a powerful light aura surround the planet, doing unspeakable things. The creatures of the Subspace Army were reduced to Shadow Bugs, the Ancients forever lost heir freedom, and the Mii Fighters' voices were stolen – followed by Niflheim and Muspelheim hardening into lifeless stone and destroying Ginnungagap. When Hella flew back to the Arcadium with the darkened Smash Ball, she grabbed ahold of the Final Smash within and used its power to throw the Arcadium sky-high, where it was forever suspended in midair as the Midair Stadium. Sonic the Hedgehog was watching all he witnessed, terrified at the actions she performed.

 _After feeling the Final Smash surge through me,_ Hella's voice rang out through Sonic, _I wanted to use the Master Core's power and transform it into a dangerous tool. With the Smash Ball, I would take my vengeance upon the World of Trophies, enslave beings of my own will and kill them off when I no longer see a use for them, and create what I would like to call… the Great Maze. I'm sure some of you may have recognized me before, when you encountered me for the first time…_

 _Ganondorf was the first one to discover you, and I was the last one to actually touch you,_ Sonic said as Hella looked at him, even though it was just a memory. _Which means…_ Sonic suddenly remembered what happened ten years ago, when he temporarily destroyed Tabuu's wings and disrupted his Off-Waves, and the two of them looked at each other. Before Sonic could jump off, he saw what appeared to be the black-haired girl from before, even though it was just a second of a flash.

 _I've met you before,_ Sonic muttered. _Does this mean…?_ However, before Sonic was about to finish, the memory of Hella was beginning to vanish, returning Sonic the Hedgehog back to his mission. After Sonic quickly woke up, he realized he wasn't back at the rooftop of the Olympius, back with everyone he knew. Instead, it felt like he was in some sort of cage. It appeared he was in some sort of plasma cube, where only the corners were made out of robotic metal. Once Sonic sat up, he looked at himself, noticing he was bound and gagged. He was biting down on the cloth wrapped around his mouth, and he had a metal collar with rope as the leash. Rope was wrapped around his upper arms below his shoulders, and his hands were tied behind his back. Sonic quickly stood up, pulling on the tight bondages. When he looked up, he saw his old friend Meta Knight, his mask showing signs of scratches, and his arms chained above his head.

 _MK?_ Sonic thought as he was groaning through the muffles. Meta Knight looked down at the tied-up hedgehog, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, my blue comrade," Meta Knight said, tears dripping from his mask. "I tried to protect you from Infinite… We all were… but… he was just too powerful, and everyone else was trying to destroy Jotun… The Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 lashed out on everyone… but the explosion from Jotun demolished the dragon just in time… You lost Faker when his jar fell out of your quills and the device to save Shadow Mewtwo… I don't know what happened to Mega Man and Inkling when they tried protecting the two of us…" Sonic simply shook his head, simply smiling underneath the cloth wrapped around his mouth. Just then, the door opened, and the three Ultimates Reborn with Infinite walked in. Sonic quickly stood up, trying to get rid of the bondages behind his back, growling through his gag.

"Looks like we caught two live prisoners," Infinite smirked. "Surprised to see me?" Sonic and Meta Knight looked at the four figures, alarmed. The three Ultimates Reborn then pressed the button on their masks, transforming the masks into headsets once more.

"Nice job, Infinite," the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn said. "Looks like you're not weaker than Indie, after all." Sonic started muffling in anger, knowing what's going on. The Gunner Ultimate Reborn then pulled out a paper card, inserted it into a slot in the board of the plasma cage, and the walls disappeared. Sonic was sitting down during the time, held against his will. As the Gunner Ultimate Reborn walked in, she simply looked at Sonic, giggling.

"Look at you," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn said. "Ten years of chasing you, and the Smash Ball has discovered your weakness: leaving you out in the open for the taking. So nice you could be the participating passengers aboard the Kin, where you're far away from your friends back at Civiltatula, heading towards the Yggdrasil… where you'll finally be a part of the Subspace Army." Sonic then jumped up and kicked the Gunner Ultimate Reborn in the chest, lashing his leash. The other two Ultimates Reborn saw Sonic trying to escape with his superfast legs, and they tried pinning him down, but he simply spindashed out of the way. However, Infinite was about to grab him with the Phantom Ruby's powers, but the blue hedgehog kicked his chest really hard, cracking a piece of the Phantom Ruby off and launching the masked jackal out of the prison ship, leaving a large hole where the wind blew through. The three Ultimates Reborn tried to push Sonic back in, but the blue blur quickly ran behind them and kicked them back into the plasma cage, where he grabbed the paper card with his hands still tied behind his back and trapped the three Ultimates Reborn inside. Sonic then kicked a red button on the control panel, and the shackles on Meta Knight's hands released the Star Warrior.

"Good luck trying to get rid of that rope, blue rat!" the Brawler Ultimate Reborn yelled as Meta Knight jumped onto the ground, grabbing the card from Sonic's tied hands. "This is a special kind of bondage, one where only the computer in the control room can free you with our access with one of those cards, so not even your friend's sword could cut it off – it'll just make the blade dull. Too bad the ship's huge, so you'll never find it in time as we approach closer to our destination, where more of our troops will come in and kick your ass!" As the Brawler Ultimate Reborn was finished speaking, Sonic under bondage-and-silence and Meta Knight ran out of the room, leaving the three Ultimates Reborn trapped inside. Once the two warriors were out, Shadow Bugs leaked through the ship's air vent, clogged the room's hole where it was a sky-high drop, and a Primid pulled out a card where it stuck it in the special hole of the control panel. The plasma walls disappeared, and the three Ultimates Reborn squirmed out.

"Where's our ride?" the Gunner Ultimate Reborn panted, each one of the Ultimates Reborn pressing the single button on their headsets and bringing them back to their masks. "We need to get out of here and prepare the Mii Fighters at the Yggdrasil for invaders!"

Meanwhile, back at the roof of the Olympius, Jotun's body was burning right next to the demolished Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0, and Bowser Jr. was slowly waking up from his knockout. There, he saw everyone except for Sonic, Meta Knight, Inkling, and Mega Man right in front of him, and Mario with Link, Cloud, Zero Suit Samus, Zelda, and Greninja were just walking through the only entrance to meet up with the warriors who fought atop the tower. The five fighters looked around, noticing they were a tad bit late for the party. They all then turned toward Bowser Jr., who was looking around at the demolishment and the only ride out of here was destroyed.

"My dragon!" Bowser Jr. cried. "All the Shadow Bugs are killed off!"

"…Maybe we could help rebuild your ship," Mario responded. "After all, it can't be that hard to repair a ship…"

"It's not like that," Bowser Jr. replied. "Infinite and his gang grabbed Sonic and Meta Knight, with Inkling and Mega Man jumping onto the ship to rescue them! Jotun's corpse is going to blow up any second, and if we don't get out of here we'll be going down along with the tower."

"How do you think we should repair it?" Palutena asked.

"This thing used to be a machine, but after we fixed it, the robot only runs on Shadow Bugs. There should be at least only one to power this thing and get us all out of here…"

"Why'd you change from you evil ways all of a sudden…?" Snake asked.

"I need to reunite with my Papa!" Bowser Jr. answered. "I also know that if I were to kill you all right now, it wouldn't matter anyway since we'll all die." Just then, the shattered glass of the jar that Sonic dropped from his Smash Ball state started glowing a neon purple, and the Shadow Bug Faker floated out. Chirping, everyone looked at the different Shadow Bug as it went to the body of the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0, breathing life back into its metallic body. The dragon roared once again, and Jotun's corpse was about to explode.

"Thanks a lot, guys," Bowser Jr. replied. "We'll be calling this a truce, and we'll be heading to the Yggdrasil, the opening to the Ruins of the Ancients…" Jumping into the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0, everyone teamed up with Bowser Jr., who was now holding onto the special device from before, flying away from the burning Olympius, where they will recruit for the biggest battle ever.

*location skip

Meta Knight was running down the halls of the prison ship, followed by Sonic the Hedgehog, who was still bound and gagged. Then, MK grabbed ahold of Sonic's leash, pulling him towards a sound while the alarm was ringing.

"Do you hear something?" Meta Knight whispered. Sneaking right next to a shut door, Meta Knight then started hearing torturing noises from inside. Sonic kicked it down, showing three figures chained down onto torture tables and zapped to death. From left to right, there was a yellow, circle-shaped figure with a large pizza mouth, black eyes, a long nose, and a pair of red gloves followed by a pair of red boots. In the middle was a blue-haired lady, with a tipless sword on the left side of her waist, and she was wearing clothing almost identical to Marth's. On the far right, a brown-red haired princess, wearing a yellow dress that was similar to Peach's. At the torture device's control panel, Sephiroth was tapping his fingers on the keyboard, trying to look for signs of a Smash Ball with no response.

"Stupid computer!" Sephiroth growled. "No wonder people were complaining about 'pending updates'!" Just then, Sephiroth turned around to feel a shoe tap his shoulder, and all he got was a nasty kick in the face from Sonic. Meta Knight lashed his sword at the shackles that kept the three prisoners in place, freeing them. As the three warriors got up, they looked at the two strangers who rescued them.

"Oh, you're in the same mess as us?" the yellow-dressed princess asked, noticing Sonic in some sort of a scrape.

"Pretty much," Meta Knight answered while Sonic nodded, the blue hedgehog's muffles rang. "My name's Meta Knight, and the blue creature you see here is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Hi, I'm Daisy, Princess of Sarasaland!" the princess spoke. "Here, you have Princess Lucina, wielder of the Naga Blade. On our right is PAC-MAN."

"It's an honor meeting you," Lucina spoke. "Thank you two of releasing us from our imprisonment after a long time of torture…"

"You're welcome," Meta Knight answered, holding the paper card. "Now, we really need your help in getting to the main computer room. You see, Sonic's under a special type of bondage in which only the computer can cut off with one of these paper cards. All we have to do is scan it and get out of here." Suddenly, Sephiroth slowly got up, wiping his bleeding nose and sniffing.

"You… stupid… bitch…" Sephiroth groaned. "I'll make sure that all of you would pay for-" Before the one-winged angel could finish, Sonic kneed him in the crotch before another follow-up kick in the face. The alarm started ringing as incoming Mii Fighters dropped out in the room.

"…For… making me lose my virginity…" Sephiroth groaned as the Mii Fighters helped him up. Inkling and Mega Man kicked down the air dock in the vent just in time, reuniting with Sonic and Meta Knight.

"...And these are Mega Man and Inkling," Meta Knight answered.

"Did we miss something?" Mega Man asked while Inkling chirped. The two warriors then looked at Sephiroth and the Fighting Mii Team.

"Pretty weak for someone who committed thousands of murders," Daisy taunted.

"Fighting Mii Team… Kill them," Sephiroth ordered as he instantly warped out of the area, followed by the black-clothed warriors to begin attacking Sonic and the gang. The seven fighters then started running out of here, looking for a way to the computer room. Incoming Fighting Mii Team warriors dropped from the roof of the Kin, lashing and slashing at the warriors. Meta Knight and Lucina pulled out their swords, attacking the enemies and sparing no one.

"You fight an awful lot like Marth, minus the tipper and almost slow reactions," Meta Knight said, wiping the sweat off his mask.

"I came from a doomed future where I was forced to change my identity and attacks to that precisely of Marth's one time, so I had to do something," Lucina answered and she counter-attacked an incoming Fighting Mii Team member. Sonic bound-and-gagged stood back-to-back with PAC-MAN, surrounded by enemies. PAC-MAN then grabbed ahold of Sonic's leash, swinging him around and making the blue hedgehog spindash into the Fighting Mii Team. Once Sonic landed, he started spinning on his head, kicking at the Miis' faces and knocking them down to the ground before landing with a full split. Swords from many of the enemies slashed against the rope, but they only shattered in fragments that flew on impact and brutally hit everyone in the room, just like it was said to do for any weapon that would try and break the bondages. Daisy grabbed her blue Toad and squeezed the spores out of him, whacking the enemies in the face with special flower effects of her own. Rockman and Clementine began firing their projectiles, with fiery blasts and ink explosions filling the room. Once the area was cleared, the seven fighters ran towards their destination in the Kin, attacking the incoming Fighting Mii Team.

Once everyone was in the computer room, Meta Knight and PAC-MAN immediately barricaded the door, killing the Primids who were locked in with them.

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" the Subspace computer spoke. The Fighting Mii Team were trying to break down the door, and Sonic was waiting impatiently, sweat rolling down his forehead as he was pulling on the bondages and biting down hard on the cloth.

"Mmph… mmph!" Sonic moaned, struggling with his hands tied behind his back and rubbing on his aching arms wrapped around with rope around the shoulders with the sides of his head.

"Have a little more patience, blue friend!" Meta Knight replied as the computer was constantly alerting the room while its control panel was being searched for by everyone else on his team.

"We'll get you out soon enough!" Daisy answered as the door was being banged on. Sonic kept tapping his feet, trying his best to wait as the alarm was ringing and the door was about to be broken.

"Found it!" Mega Man rang out. Meta Knight tossed him the paper card, which fluttered towards him. The advanced android placed his finger on the slot so he would find it in time.

"Put it in!" Meta Knight exclaimed. Mega Man then pushed the card in, and the light on the computer monitor rang green.

"Removing bondages…" the Subspace computer rang as a special ray gun dropped from the sky on robotic appendages and zapped the bondages right off. The gag vanished, the collar and leash disappeared, and the ropes which held Sonic's arms and hands in place dissolved. Sonic the Hedgehog then massaged his wrists, clenching his fists and grinning once the door broke down, followed by incoming Fighting Mii Team members. The seven warriors were all ready for them, and they gave it their all, knocking out every single enemy that came in out. Once the area was empty, Sonic rubbed the quills on his head.

"Is there a way to steer this thing?" Sonic asked as Clementine chirped while nodding.

"This computer is set to auto-drive to its destination," Meta Knight answered. "There's nothing we can do right now… except wait for the worst…" Sonic, Meta Knight, PAC-MAN, Daisy, Lucina, Mega Man, and Inkling all looked ahead of the Kin's main window, watching as they approached closer to their destination: the Yggdrasil. Sonic looked in all sorts of directions, watching the Legacy and the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 also arrive at the exact same time.

"Yeah… except we'll not be alone…" Sonic muttered, smirking.


	16. Pt 16: The Heavily-Growing Subspace Army

Aboard the Legacy, the Falcon Flyer Group and the Wolfen Assault Group boarded the ship, and their landing triggered an alarm that awoke the guns set off by Validar, who was standing right in front of the rivals.

"Stand back… I'm warning you…" Validar trembled, "or I'll be forced to shoot!"

"This was all thanks to your defeat back at our homeland, isn't it?" Robin asked their enemy. "The way you're trembling, and the fact that Grima has possessed your soul…"

"SHUT UP!" Validar yelled as the two groups approached closer to him. The wimpy mage slipped and fell on his behind, trying to crawl away. "That Blight Ganon fusion monster I devised was pretty ingenious, was it not?"

"I think you stole someone else's idea," Ganondorf objected. "It was supposed to be planned by me during the attack ten years ago, but the Gunship, which it was built on, was destroyed in the progress."

"I'm giving you one last chance," Validar stammered. "If you don't surrender to me, I'll be forced to shoot-" Before Validar could finish, he didn't think twice of protecting himself with powerful magic, so he was knocked down easily by Ryu's Focus Punch. The guns then retreated back into the ship's hull, not firing anything at the intruding fighters.

"That was easy," Ryu scoffed.

"That was just the first line of defense," Falco then said. "There are enemies and traps waiting for us inside, so if we were to break in, we'll have to be ready for a heavy line of fire."

"Let's g-g-g-go, then," Luigi stammered, hugging Peach close. While the warriors broke down the only small door to get inside the Legacy, Pit was just about to follow them in, but a mysterious dragon snatched him, carrying him off. As the white-clothed angel saw himself straying farther from his teammates and closer to their actual destination – the Yggdrasil – Pit groaned and saw that he was being carried by a terrible beast: a red-skinned dragon not that of the Winged Firestorms.

"Rathalos!?" Pit exclaimed as the monster roared. "Lady Palutena warned me about you, and that you'll eat me once you land! Somebody help! Hear my prayers, Lady Palutena! I'm too young to die, even though I think I've lived over thousands of years! I never even learned how to reeeeeeeead!" As Pit was screaming for help, Rathalos kept flying through the black-red darkness towards the Yggdrasil.

* * *

Meanwhile, Indie emerged from the hull of the Legacy, grabbing Validar's unconscious body and, as he was slowly waking up, bringing him down to the control room, where Sephiroth and the Mii Fighter troops were waiting for him with anger on their faces.

"That was your last chance to prove that your loss at your homeland would not get in the way of doing what is important for the Subspace Army," Sephiroth growled as Indie got behind the one-winged angel, lashing his katana blade at Validar's face.

"Please… this is not my fault, I swear!" Validar trembled. "I didn't realize what a fool I was and I'm sorry for what I did-" Sephiroth then grabbed Validar by the neck, stroking the dull end of the blade across the mage's face.

"What you did was unforgivable," Sephiroth lashed. "I promise you pain without end…" Before Sephiroth was about to behead Validar, a mist of black smoke appeared in the room. The Mii Fighter troops looked behind them, and Sephiroth let go of Validar to see who this newcomer was. Lo, as the smoke cleared, a tall, pale man with white locks and small facial hair, black-and-red clothing and vampire fangs instead of flat teeth appeared out of nowhere. The stranger slowly floated towards Validar, making the black-clothed mage tremble.

"Please, allow me," the stranger replied in a peculiar accent. "My name is Dracula, the Lord of Darkness, and I have come for the worst teammate in your clan."

"What brings you here around these parts?" Sephiroth replied. Dracula then pulled out an Assist Trophy Capsule, balancing it on the base. However, since he was not one of the trophies of this world, touching the base had no effect on the item. Instead, Dracula gave the Assist Trophy Capsule to Sephiroth, letting him have it for safekeeping.

"Found it in your stash vault," Dracula said. "Give it to your leaders at the World Tree, but make sure they bring back my son Alucard, who was sealed off long ago by my mortal rivals, the Belmont clan. Assist Trophies show up at random, so make this new challenger count." Sephiroth tucked the Assist Trophy Capsule in his only raven-black wing, putting away his sword. Dracula then looked at Validar and pulled out Death's Scythe, grinning at him with darkened eyes. With a quick slash, the sound of gushing blood was spilt without a single scream, and Sephiroth and the Mii Fighter troops looked as Validar's now-dead body collapsed on the metal floor, showing a bleeding body and white eyes that lacked pupils to mark those as the people who have seen Death in person. Dracula then tucked the powerful weapon into his cape, looking at Sephiroth.

"He was pretty weak anyway," Dracula said. "Besides, don't you have two more teammates you can count on?" Indie floated right beside Dracula, looking like he was becoming less like himself.

"Give the guy a chance," Indie said. "I'm slowly losing more of myself through each passing day, starting with my fingers…" Instead of the usual blue shovel-tipped fingers that Indie originally had, there was mere black wisp in place. Sephiroth looked at Dracula for a while, thinking about his decision. Just then, the Subspace computer was receiving a call from Morpho Knight and M. Bison.

"Hey, Sephiroth," Morpho Knight said through the screen. "Just a heads up, we'll be waiting for you at the Yggdrasil, and you'll hopefully take care of the intruders aboard the Legacy." Sephiroth approached the computer, tapping on the keyboard without pressing the buttons.

"I'll be with you there," Sephiroth replied before getting ready to end the transmission. However, he suddenly remembered something. "What about Infinite? Are his replicas doing fine?"

"Last thing we've heard," M. Bison said, "Infinite was kicked out of the Kin when Meta Knight and Sonic were captured, and the Ultimates Reborn flew to the Yggdrasil. We haven't heard back from the Phantom Clones, though it seems the security footage says it all." M. Bison then brought up a camera screen, showing Sonic the Hedgehog, bound and gagged, kicking the Sephiroth Phantom Clone in the crotch while Meta Knight was rescuing Daisy, Lucina, and PAC-MAN. Mega Man and Inkling broke through the vent pipes just when the Phantom Ruby clone called in the Fighting Mii Team.

"Are they still on board?" Sephiroth growled.

"Alive and free as a butterfly," Morpho Knight answered.

"Find them and kill them," Sephiroth snarled. "I want you to make sure the ultimate power never wakes up." Both M. Bison and Morpho Knight nodded before the transmission ended itself. Sephiroth then looked at Dracula, sighing.

"You're in," Sephiroth said, "and hopefully you'll be better than Validar."

"I already am," Dracula replied. "While you were too busy focusing on the fighters, I took that Blight Grima of yours and transformed it into a familiar friend, one who's powers are more intense than any other monster and Assist Trophy."

"Which friend, exactly?" Sephiroth asked, transporting the Assist Trophy Capsule to the Ultimates Reborn with his powers. Dracula showed off a small grin, knowing something that no one else in the Subspace Army knew.

* * *

In the black-red darkness as purple lightning flashed, Rathalos, with Pit still struggling and crying for help in his claws, was flying towards the Yggdrasil, the waypoint to the Ruins of the Ancients. The young angel then pulled out Palutena's Bow, splitting it in half, and slashing at the monster's claw. As Rathalos was roaring in pain, the red-skinned dragon let go of Pit, and the angel was falling to what was presumably his death.

"Hopefully this works!" Pit cried, admitting he didn't think first before attacking. His wings were flickering with light as he tried to unleash his Power of Flight, wobbling as he was keeping his balance. However, it was too late, as Pit crashed through the roof of the Kin, which was coincidentally below him as it was approaching the landing pad of the Yggdrasil, crashing into people who were already below him through the control room, making the prison ship explode on impact. As Pit slowly rubbed his head, he saw what appeared to be his old friends Sonic the Hedgehog and Meta Knight, as well as five new faces: PAC-MAN, Daisy, Lucina, Mega Man, and Inkling.

"…Sonic? Meta Knight?" Pit groaned. Sonic's ears perked up to hearing a familiar voice, and Meta Knight rubbed his mask as he heard the sound too. The two fighters looked up to see Pit in a burning background, crying tears of joy. Happy with relief, Sonic and Meta Knight ran towards Pit, hugging him, glad to see him again.

"I thought you were dead!" Pit cried. "I thought they killed you and dragged the Smash Ball out of you!" The three fighters broke the hug, looking at the five newcomers on their team. Everyone looked at the fiery explosion, which was caused aboard the Kin, and from the ashes emerged the Sephiroth cloned from Infinite's Phantom Ruby, showing red-and-black pixels as he was very weakened. Eventually, the clone dissolved, showing Rathalos in the background, flying towards the Legacy. When the warriors turned around, they saw they were on the bottom floor of the Yggdrasil, a tall, black-and-neon colored building shaped like a tree, with orb-shaped leaves as central control rooms, and the tip of the tower, shaped like a giant eagle, perched on top, poking through the black-red clouds and serving as the command center.

"So, our objective is to get to the top of that tower, right?" Sonic asked everyone. "Disable the Yggdrasil, weaken the troops, and head over to the Ruins of the Ancients?"

"Seems like it," Mega Man replied. "Looks like we'll have no time to waste. Come on, everybody." The small team then ran through the main entrance, while Infinite, now on the ground, watched from afar, slowly getting up and recharging his powers.


	17. Pt 17: The Monsters of the Yggdrasil

In the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0, Bowser Jr. was sitting in the metal dragon's head, flying it to the Yggdrasil. Inside the stomach of the vehicle, Mario, the replicas and the originals, Cloud, Villager, Lucas, Little Mac, Shulk, the three divine beings, Bayonetta, Ridley, Greninja, and all the lost veterans were positioning, prepared to drop down onto the tallest building made by the Subspace Army. Link, straightening his Champion's Tunic, sat next to Cloud Strife, sighing as he looked with determination.

"Cloud?" Link asked the 1st-class SOLDIER.

"Yeah?" Strife replied in question as he looked to his left.

"I felt like…" Link sighed, "Back at the Midair Stadium, I was just about to say something to everyone before we got involved in this fight."

"What were you trying to say?" Cloud asked the Hylian. Link tossed his dirty blond locks behind his pointed ears, looking down at the burned ground from on high as the wind blew across his face from the opened shaft.

"I was just about to tell everyone how much we love each other, no matter how tough things seem to get," Link answered. "Hopefully you'll understand, since all of the other warriors are too fixed in the intense battle." Just then, Zelda walked to the two boys, holding the headset device in her hands.

"I hope you two boys are listening," Zelda said. "With this thing, we might have answers to our mysterious past. However, there's one victim of the Subspace Army who is on no one's side: Shadow Mewtwo. That Shadow Synergy Stone might be torturing him mentally, so we need to destroy it from within as fast as we can."

"Where would we find him?" Cloud Strife asked, Mario and the others looking at the princess. Zelda then pointed down on the middle floor of the Yggdrasil, where there was a huge glass window reflecting the lightning from the black-red cloud above them.

"Are you sure?" Snake asked the princess.

"Either we're correct, or we all die from Shulk's miscalculations in his visions by some powerful monster from inside," Zelda answered. Everyone looked at Shulk, worried about what might happen next.

"What?" Shulk said. "The Monado Arts aren't 100% accurate…" Ridley shook his head in annoyance before Bowser Jr. walked down, readying his position to jump in.

"Everybody ready?" Bowser Jr. asked. All the fighters in the team gave a thumbs up, the Pokémon Trainer releasing Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard. Relaxing themselves, the whole gang jumped from the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0, falling down and positioning themselves above the glass room as the dragon circled around in the black-red cloud. Red jumped on top of Charizard's back while Ivysaur and Squirtle hung on, and Lucas was crying in fear before Rosalina's Luma grabbed ahold of him, pulling him close to its mommy. With high winds on the rise, almost everyone positioned perfectly.

"You have the get out here before I kill you," Shadow Mewtwo telepathized, tears in his bloodshot eyes. Inside the glass room, the Ultimates Reborn have found Shadow Mewtwo, surrounding him as the pain from the Shadow Synergy Stone worsened. Purple sparks were generating from the palms of his hands, but the Brawler Ultimate Reborn pulled out the Assist Trophy Capsule given to them from before.

"We know," the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn answered, "but this mysterious guest will kill you first when we get out of here." Suddenly, the fighters that emerged from the metallic dragon crashed through the glass wall, with Bowser Jr. himself yet to be seen. Once the Ultimates Reborn looked at the direction of the collision, Shadow Mewtwo grabbed ahold of the Assist Trophy Capsule, but the three warriors knew they wouldn't let their guard down. As the small team approached closer, Shadow Mewtwo and the three Ultimates Reborn tugged harder on the Assist Trophy Capsule, eventually having rainbow-colored sparks generate from the glass rim of the item, showing more signs of breaking when all of a sudden, the glass bursted. The mysterious figure that was trapped within showed signs of forming as the light started dimming, and everyone in the room was surprised.

"Is that…?" Zero Suit Samus asked. Samus started charging up her arm cannon, knowing who this mysterious enemy is. From the Assist Trophy Capsule, a black figure that looked very similar to Samus was slowly getting up, glowing blue veins pulsing on her black exoskeleton as she rubbed the strangely-formed arm cannon with her alien hand. The markings on her helmet were different, showing that there was nothing human about her at all.

"Dark Samus," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn said, helping the other two of the Mii Fighter leaders up. "Sephiroth specifically asked for the son of Dracula to emerge! Why are we so unlucky!? Whatever… Warrior of pure Phazon, get rid of these losers…" The three Ultimates Reborn then started running out through the exit, leaving Dark Samus to face Mario and the gang. Shadow Mewtwo was still clenching his body, shooting black lightning from his fingers. He suddenly zapped Dark Samus before she approached the warriors, knocking her deep into the ventral system underneath them. Shadow Mewtwo then started telepathizing in pain, the Shadow Synergy Stone on his left shoulder close to breaking. Samus and Zero Suit Samus grabbed ahold of the possessed Pokémon while an alarm was sounding off, calling in Fighting Mii Team troops.

"Link and I will follow the Assist Trophy," Cloud Strife said to his friends. "The rest of you will have to take care of Shadow Mewtwo and destroy those Shadow Bugs within him." Cloud then grabbed ahold of Link, grabbing him close by the right side of the Hylian's waist. Holding each other close, the two warriors jumped down into the ventral system, away from everyone else.

Meanwhile, Bowser Jr. realized the strong winds that pushed him away from everyone else to their destination, and he was still falling, but through another room thousands of feet up. Once Bowser Jr. crashed through, he broke right through the strong supportive floor, slowing his descent. Also, when the Koopa Prince landed, he ripped a hole right in front of Sonic and his crew, who were just running to the top of the tower.

"Weepy?" the Inkling chirped.

"You're damn right 'weepy'," Sonic answered, looking through the dark floor along with Meta Knight and the others. "Someone's down there, and it doesn't look pretty…"

Bowser Jr. stirred from his unconsciousness, looking around the dim room he was stuck in. As he slowly got up, he noticed his Junior Clown Car was right in front of him, but the young Koopaling himself was covered in some sort of sticky goop, almost like a giant spiderweb, having him barely budge as he tried to crawl closer to his personal vehicle. The stone-textured room led down to a dark hallway, almost like an abandoned hospital in a horror film. Bowser Jr. then started getting terrified as the lights started flickering, showing gruesome images of actual living corpses crawling closer to him. The more the lights started flashing, the more the weak Koopaling could make out the zombie faces: pale, rotting skin, bleeding mouths, ragged clothes, dislodged jawbones, gouged eyeballs, basically anything gory, making Bowser Jr. feel terrified and queasy at the same time. Other monsters creeped out from the shadows: giant spiders, mummies, poltergeists, and mysterious creatures lurking in the darkness. Before any of the monsters even got as close to Bowser Jr. as they possibly could, a chain-like whip lashed right in front of them, breaking some of their limbs off. Bowser Jr. then turned his head to his right, noticing a figure right in front of him. Some of the zombies limped to the direction of the attack, but the figure tossed a bottle of Holy Water, which turned out to burst into a pillar of flames. As the fire from the Holy Water burned the cobweb that Bowser Jr. was stuck in, the Koopaling climbed back into his Junior Clown Car, looking at this strange warrior. Wielding his chain whip, the stranger looked a little like a barbarian, with blond hair supported by a metal bandana-like accessory, wearing ragged clothing and fur boots. Tucked in his neck was a necklace with a strange cross in the front as the stranger took it out for a brief moment before kissing it gently and putting it back in his uniform's neck collar. The warrior then pulled out an axe, throwing it like a boomerang as it sliced more of the zombie enemies. Jumping down from the hole, Sonic, Meta Knight, Mega Man, Pit, Inkling, Daisy, Lucina, and PAC-MAN saw they were cornered by unnatural enemies.

"Simon Belmont?" Sonic asked. The warrior turned to the blue hedgehog, confused.

"Do I know you?" Simon remarked in question, grabbing a zombie by the neck.

"Sorry," Sonic said, rubbing his face as rotting limbs were flung past the warriors. "It's just that I'm a very big fan…" A giant spider then crawled down from the leaking ceiling, but Sonic grabbed its eight legs as Lucina rushed in, slicing the creature's limbs off. More monsters started walking towards the fighters, with Bowser Jr. regaining a little courage as he sent out a small troop of explosive wind-up toys to blow up on impact, standing next to Daisy. Lucina and PAC-MAN readied their weapons next to Meta Knight, while Sonic the Hedgehog paired up with Clementine the Inkling. Pit and Mega Man stood next to Simon on both sides, preparing to attack.

"Pit, Mega Man, and Simon all teaming up to fight monsters," Sonic said. "For some reason, I feel VERY uncomfortable…" The zombies and the monsters lunged themselves at the fighters, snarling and groaning. Simon Belmont began lashing his Vampire Killer, followed by a series of heavy kicks. He flung a throwing cross at the mysterious creatures, scaring them away as Mega Man fired a series of sticky bombs. Pit flew in, firing his arrows from Palutena's Bow, piercing the monsters and killing them on impact. Bowser Jr. teamed up with Daisy, pelting the poltergeists with cannonballs and turnips and scaring them off. PAC-MAN then joined the other two fighters, throwing pixelated fruits at some of the incoming giant spiders, spraying water from his fire hydrant, and punching some of the monsters in the face. Lucina and Inkling stood side-by-side, running around each other in a circle while attacking the zombies surrounding them. Lucina stuck out her Falchion, slicing the zombies in half, while the Inkling rapidly jabbed with her Splattershot. Meta Knight and Sonic were cornered by a few zombies, attacking with the style of fighting they're best with.

"Careful, my blue comrade!" Meta Knight groaned, blocking an attack from one zombie. "One bite from their virus-infected mouths will turn you into one of them!"

"You don't think I know that!?" Sonic replied in question, stretching another zombie's mouth beyond its limit to dislocate the lower jawbone and break the monster's neck. "I've watched plenty of zombie media to get the idea! I know what happens next when you become defeated by the undead!" Sonic then kicked the zombie's head off, sending it flying to another zombie's face, followed by a spindash from the blue hedgehog himself. After the surviving monsters retreated back into the darkness, Simon and the small team congratulated their victory, clapping in relief that the scary room was cleared. Well, everyone except for Bowser Jr., anyway…

"Look at all of you, the High-and-Mighty team…" Bowser Jr. sighed, hiding in his Junior Clown Car. "You're not afraid to stand up to those monsters, and I was really just a wimp trying to get back to my papa…" The young Koopaling sat upright in his personal vehicle, the face on the car sad and terrified. Sonic slowly walked towards him, showing some signs of comfort.

"It's alright, buddy," Sonic said. "You at least got credit for trying. I mean, we have a pretty powerful warrior on our side, trapped in this room for God knows how long…"

"You just don't understand," Bowser Jr. objected, his voice slightly breaking. "I've been away from my papa for ten years, hopefully becoming part of the Subspace Army to reunite with the only family I have left…" Tears started building up in the Koopaling's eyes, and the fighters looked at the sobbing prince. Simon let go of the door handle in the dark hallway just to walk towards the terrified Koopa prince.

"Now, there just might be a day where my papa might die from… those things… and I might never see him again, not even knowing the good deeds he did against the Subspace Army…" Bowser Jr. then started bawling, crying as loud as he could as more tears built up. Sonic and his team started getting irritated by the spoiled prince, looking at the dark hallway.

"I guess we should be going now," Simon said, opening the door. "I've been searching these halls and still haven't found an answer to destroy this resource building."

"Yeah, I guess we should get going…" Sonic groaned, grabbing the Junior Clown Car by its rim with Bowser Jr. still inside, crying loud in sadness that he might never see his father again. All the other fighters then walked off, following Simon Belmont. Pit looked at Mega Man, slightly confused.

"Did Sonic say we look uncomfortable with Simon?" Pit asked. Mega Man then scoffed, grabbing Pit by the wrist and dragging him to the others, ready to leave this nightmarish room.


	18. Pt 18: Inside the World Tree

Far outside the Yggdrasil, underneath the Legacy's shadow as it landed on the boarding platform, another strange warrior stood outside the gates. He was holding a sword similar to Lucina's Falchion, and he was wearing a shoulder plate on his left. He had blue hair, and he had the mark of the Naga on his right shoulder. His silver cape flowed behind him as he looked up, watching as Rathalos crawled on the surface of the ship, trying to claw through and attack any intruders inside.

"Hopefully my daughter isn't in that ship," the warrior said. "The least I could do is make sure she's okay, even if she knows how to defend herself from the moves of the Hero King…" Suddenly, he heard a hovercraft zooming right into his direction. The hovercraft had a yellow-and-green paint on its plate, and the back was filled with golden-skinned bananas marked with the Kong symbol in red. Two of a species of crocodile-like creatures were on each side, one green and the other blue. Driving the truck was a large, plump, brass-bellied reptilian king with red eyes and a loud laugh.

"With the Kongs gone to defend their Golden Banana horde, I can have all their delicious fruit to myself!" the crocodile king laughed. "Powering my ultimate weapon, these tasty treats will be the power of a lifeti- Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The crocodile king noticed the blue-haired warrior right in front of him, and he tried stepping on the brakes as his two minions held onto the hovertruck's sides. There was no time to stop the collision as a big whack from the hovertruck sent the two warriors flying. A brief explosion took place, and as the blue-haired warrior got up, he saw the crocodile king looking down upon him, furious.

"How dare you stop King K. Rool as he tries to escape with the one thing to destroy Kong Island…" the crocodile king growled.

"Stop you?" the blue-haired warrior asked. "My fellow comrade, I believe those bananas aren't technically yours…"

"Why do you think I'm stealing them for my own evil deeds?" King K. Rool asked. "And just who do you think you are to question the Kremling King, ruler of the Kritters?"

"My name is Chrom, and I clearly didn't know you were coming my way," the blue-haired warrior answered. "I was only looking for Lucina and Robin, my daughter and partner."

"Oh, you have a precious baby you're looking for, do ya? As well as a partner?" King K. Rool asked in sarcasm as the black-red cloud from up above thundered. "Listen, buddy! I ain't lookin' for your kid an' teammate! I've already got enough problems as it is with trying to steal from the Kongs when they're not around anymore! First I had to put up with Bowser's minions, now you…"

"You see that huge ship next to the Yggdrasil?" Chrom asked, pointing to the Legacy and Rathalos. "This strange creature aboard the ship is trying to claw through and attack whoever's inside. I fear that my only daughter is trapped in there, as well as my partner. I'm asking you to team up with me, since there are bigger threats than a stubborn king stealing the same loot as you…"

"What do I know of this 'threat'?" King K. Rool scoffed. Suddenly, purple lightning zapped the two Kritters that were on King K. Rool's hovertruck, which was now burning along with the Golden Banana horde. As soon as the lightning struck, more Kritters and Klaptraps crawled from the hillside, giving off a purple glow in their eyes like the Kritters that were hit. The reptilians looked at their king next to the blue-haired warrior, though not as a ruler anymore and… more like an enemy.

"What?" King K. Rool asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?" The crocodile-like creatures walked closer, grinning evilly, followed by flying Tiki Buzzes.

"Your Majesty," Chrom objected quietly, "I don't think they're on your side anymore…" The Kremlings and Evil Tikis rushed at the two fighters – the green Kritter biting, the blue Kritter spinning, the Klaptrap clamping its jaws, and the Tiki Buzz swooping downward. The four species of monsters started charging, but Chrom unleashed his Falchion just in time. Chrom attacked the same as Roy, but he was different with his Aether recovery, and wind effects to replace the fiery attacks that Roy had, plus with a tipless sword. King K. Rool grabbed ahold of his Blunderbuss, launching a cannonball and sucking few enemies in before firing them, as well as counter-attacking with his brass belly and throwing his crown like a boomerang. The objective was to get aboard the Legacy while fighting off the Kremlings that have somehow betrayed them and stop Rathalos from attacking whoever was inside.

Chrom was the first to rush, lashing at the Kritters and Klaptraps that stood in their way, slicing with powerful wind effects in a manner mainly similar to Roy, along with a moveset mixed with Marth and Ike. King K. Rool tossed Chrom onto his back as he ran, ramming into the Tiki Buzzes that landed on the ground at a bad time. Chrom then jumped off K. Rool's back, preforming a combo move with his sword that launched the Klaptraps. The Kremlings and the Evil Tikis started running after the two fighters, but they managed to get away in time across the flat landscape, killing off most of the Kremling King's minions as they rushed to the Legacy.

Once Chrom and King K. Rool got near the boarding area of the Legacy, they saw the red, dragon-like monster already broke through the hull of the ship, searching for intruders. More of the mutated Primids were surrounding the perimeter, some of them holding weapons that looked like the miniature version of the Dark Cannon. Simply rushing in without a plan, the blue-haired swordfighter teamed up with the crocodile king and started attacking few of the minor Subspace Army troops. The Primids holding the miniature Dark Cannons fired, and anyone caught in their line would be caught in an explosive blast. King K. Rool clawed his way through, throwing his crown as a projectile in the process. Meanwhile, Chrom cleared a way in by knocking out all the Primids, opening a gateway inside.

"Come on, K. Rool!" Chrom yelled, waving towards the entrance. The Kremling King was a little busy at the moment, whacking some Goombas and Koopa Troopas around with his giant fists. Eventually, King K. Rool began running towards the entrance, grabbing Chrom and busting in. After the two fighters got up, they saw the area looked empty, but just on the first floor of the ship. The two warriors looked around, seeing certain ships that were destroyed ten years ago: the Halberd, the ship that carried Donkey Kong when he was trapped in his trophy form, even Galleom and Duon being built again for real as the three-headed cyborg Jotun. As they looked around, they saw many empty display platforms with pictures of the real weapons that were there before. Devices and technology both warriors had never seen before were instead replaced by holograms as the revealed prototypes.

"What… are those things?" Chrom asked, his hand going through one holographic weapon that was a futuristic cannon on wheels.

"I have no idea," King K. Rool answered, admiring another display of a hydra-like android with what appeared to be a hundred heads, each one in a similar pose that looked like Tabuu who fired his Off-Waves ten years ago. "Even from an evil mastermind like me, this stuff is nothing you see every day…" Just then, both King K. Rool and Chrom heard yelling from someone upstairs. Looking around the room, the two fighters saw a hovering elevator with chrome plating with glowing blue outlines. Figuring this was their only way up, the duo got in, and the elevator rose up with no cables to the next floor.

* * *

The room was small, but the blue lights were bright enough to make out who was the third guest inside, whacking on the locked metal door as the only way in. The stranger whacking on the door was a black-haired mercenary, clothed blue and wielding a whip similar to Simon's. The Holy Water he grabbed out of his pocket burned in napalm flames when thrown on the ground, and his axe was leaving scratches on the steel of the locked door. The stranger turned around, noticing King K. Rool and Chrom were in the room with him.

"I don't suppose you're here for the same thing too, huh?" the stranger panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I've seen the beast as well and hoping to slay it. I can still hear its roars from outside this door. It's found its prey…"

"Excuse me, but… who are you?" King K. Rool asked, Chrom approaching the stranger slowly.

"My name is Richter Belmont, the destined vampire hunter," the stranger answered, whacking the door again with his Vampire Killer. "There are fellow people trapped in here that I would like to help get out, but the door's jammed…"

"Please, let us help," Chrom said, unsheathing his sword, which glowed with blue gusts of wind. "We can help you break this door down…" Chrom then started slashing at the metal door, followed by King K. Rool and Richter slicing with their powerful weapons, eventually breaking the door down. As soon as the door broke open, the three fighters looked as they saw the creature known as Rathalos, cornering Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Bowser, Falco, Marth, Ganondorf, Roy, Mr. Game & Watch, Wario, Ike, Diddy Kong, King Dedede, Olimar, Lucario, R.O.B., Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, Duck Hunt, Ryu, and Corrin.

"Stand back…" Captain Falcon said. "I'm warning you, creature!" The monster started roaring, its high screeches so loud it stunned anyone up close, and it was just about to breath fire before something slashed at its wings. As the monster started growling in pain, the Big Blue Group and the Wolfen Assault Group turned around and saw Richter, Chrom, and King K. Rool pulling out their weapons and clenching their fists.

"Thanks for coming to help us, strangers," Marth said. "We could really use some help around here." Chrom, relieved, knelt down in front of Marth, realizing he has reunited with the Hero King.

"I've heard tales about your good deeds, Marth," Chrom sighed.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked, peeking out from behind Marth and few of the other fighters.

"Robin, am I glad to see you!" Chrom said, hugging the white-haired tactician. "Have you seen Lucina yet, my friend?"

"Actually…" Robin tried answering before Corrin tapped his shoulder. Chrom broke the hug to see what was going on.

"I hate to be the breaker of bad news to you, but…" Corrin said, pointing at Rathalos, who was crawling towards the fighters. With a mighty roar, the two groups with their new companions started getting prepared to face a powerful foe.

Rathalos first came down with a mighty swoop, expanding his claws to grab whoever was on the ground. Fox and Falco started firing with their blasters, jabbing and reflecting the powerful fireballs in the meantime. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and King K. Rool jumped on top of the beast, clawing and punching through its dragon-tough skin. While Rathalos was trying to shake the three animal fighters off, Ike ran in, lashing his Ragnell with an erupting pillar of fire.

Roy joined in, teaming up with Chrom, Robin, Marth, and Corrin, the four of them avoiding the dragon flying in, catching the three animal fighters as they fell, and lashing at Rathalos' wings with their swords. King Dedede and Kirby watched out for Rathalos flying in with a powerful, fiery blast, and the two Popstarian warriors immediately started jabbing at the beast.

The dragon was showing signs of fatigue, trying to shake off Olimar's Pikmin that were thrown onto its body. As it roared again, Yoshi, Lucario, and Pikachu launched powerful projectiles into its mouth, exploding the beast from inside. However, it was just about to fire another flaming ball as it flew into the air, but Richter threw Jigglypuff in ball form at Rathalos' mouth as the rest of the gang kept attacking. Jigglypuff's light body then forced the beast to choke, weakening Rathalos. The moment the dragon coughed Jigglypuff out, having the Pokémon get caught by Peach, Luigi ran underneath its belly, trying not to be afraid as he jumped up, landing a critical punch that knocked Rathalos out.

The beast, now defeated, retreated from the hole of the ship it ripped through, flying out into the black-red darkness. The group looked at each other, wondering what's going on.

"Thought you might have needed extra hands," Chrom panted, putting his Falchion away.

"Don't mention it," Ryu replied. "By the way, what happened to the monsters that were believed to have been inside?"

"Maybe they all left for the Yggdrasil?" Fox McCloud answered in question. "Besides, I think they thought Rathalos could take care of them, and so left off for the World Tree to do… something that we can't figure out yet…"

"We saw weapons on the first floor," Chrom replied. "Well, holograms of it anyway… It looked like they were taken into the building, being shipped to this Subspace Army in a world not of ours…"

"That's why there weren't many enemies at the gate," King K. Rool snarled.

"Whatever they want inside, it can't be good," Wii Fit Trainer said.

"We're going to break in and destroy that building before any of the weapons leave," Ganondorf answered, clenching his fists.

"Just a heads-up: where's Pit?" Ike asked, looking around. "I tried asking you for the past few minutes, but it looks like the fight was too intense to even do a head count."

"Last thing I remember, Pit was about to join us," Ness responded. "Wonder where he's at…?"

"We'll know once we head into the Yggdrasil," Lucario answered. "Let's go, everyone." The warriors ran off, leaving the empty ship to one of the many gateways in the World Tree.

* * *

Inside the glass room, Shadow Mewtwo was still struggling as he was held down by Samus and Zero Suit Samus. The Shadow Synergy Stone was beginning to show signs of cracking, the Shadow Bugs that possessed his body starting to hold on as the Pokémon's skin was showing underneath. As the Shadow Bugs started swirling around his body, both Zero Suit Samus and Samus had to let go. Grabbing ahold of the small device they believed would save Shadow Mewtwo, Pichu carried it to Zelda. The princess then snatched it, ready to ask who would risk their lives. The alarm kept going, and more of the Fighting Mii Team troops dropped from the ceiling.

"This is ridiculous!" Dr. Mario exclaimed, trying to warn the Miis to back off. "Who's going to save the Pokémon while we fight the Miis!?"

"Give me the device, Hylian princess," Bayonetta answered, grabbing Snake's wrist. "Army boy and I are going to take a little detour to the dark side. You'll have to defend the Pokémon while we rescue him from within." Zelda nodded and gave the device to Cereza, who was linking it to her head.

"Be careful," Zelda said. Bayonetta then used a strand of her hair and tied her waist to Snake's utility belt, placing part of the device on the soldier's forehead. Wind was blowing hard from Shadow Mewtwo, who was still fighting the Shadow Bugs. The Umbran Witch's hair kept the two fighters close together as the wind got stronger, and Bayonetta managed to stick the last portion of the device on the Pokémon's head. Snake and Bayonetta hugged each other as the two of them turned the headset machine on, zapping them with lightning. After a sudden flash, Snake, Bayonetta, and Shadow Mewtwo were gone, leaving Mario, Dr. Mario, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Young Link, Toon Link, Zelda, Sheik, Villager, Pichu, Ice Climbers, Wolf, Pokémon Trainer (Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle), Ridley, Lucas, Little Mac, Shulk, Palutena, Dark Pit, Rosalina & Luma, and Greninja alone to face the Fighting Mii Team.

* * *

Bayonetta slowly got up, pulling her black hair back into her clothes. She looked to her right and saw Snake crawling to the Umbran Witch.

"Looks like somebody woke from his nap," Bayonetta said, helping Snake get up.

"Where are we?" Snake groaned. The two fighters looked around, noticing they were in some sort of dimension. The ground was made out of the same material as found in the Dark Synergy Stone, and the sky was pitch-black while stardust danced in the air. Darkened opal pillars formed out of the ground and Primids, as they had appeared ten years ago, emerged, staring at the warriors.

"Looks like we'll have to follow the black brick road to the land of the tortured Pokémon," Cereza chuckled. Snake and Bayonetta then pulled out their guns, ready to attack some Shadow Bugs and save Shadow Mewtwo. The Umbran Witch rushed forward along the pathway, transforming into her Panther Within and mauling the first Primids who crossed her path. Snake ran behind her, throwing grenades and firing rocket missiles, grabbing a Boom Primid from behind and breaking its neck. Bayonetta jumped on top of Snake's shoulders, light as a feather.

"Spin me right round, baby," Bayonetta said to Snake, her words as smooth as honey. Snake pulled out his pistol and shot the incoming Scope and Sword Primids while Bayonetta used her "Love is Blue" guns and fired in all directions with magical bullets from both her hands and feet. Cereza then jumped off the soldier mercenary, sweeping him off his feet and running as fast as she could while strands of her hair opened portals to Inferno, unleashing Madonna Butterfly's limbs that dealt powerful blows to the neverending Primids.

Just as soon as Snake and Bayonetta were in the clear, they saw they were in some sort of coliseum, where there was a yellow barrier surrounding them. In the center, hovering in midair, Shadow Mewtwo was about to give up. The Pokémon had been through a lifetime of struggling, and the Shadow Synergy Stone finally broke, its shards flying all over the place. Once the Shadow Bugs were free, they took on the form of their possessor, forming into a real "Shadow Mewtwo", which looked the same as before, but with the Shadow Synergy Stone gone, the Pokémon's body the same color as the Shadow Bugs, and his eyes glowing an eerie yellow. The new and improved Shadow Mewtwo touched down on the ground, his feet barely touching, glaring at Snake and Bayonetta.

The Shadow Bug fighter flew into Solid Snake, slamming him into the yellow barrier surrounding the coliseum. As Shadow Mewtwo was about to strangle Snake, Bayonetta grabbed the Shadow Bug warrior with Umbra Witch magic, smacking him and tossing the possessed creature into midair before she flew up with an uppercut. However, Shadow Mewtwo grabbed her by the neck, tossing her down and unleashing a rain of Shadow Balls upon her.

Snake flew in holding onto a drone, hopping on top of the possessed Pokémon's shoulders. Snake managed to get Shadow Mewtwo down on the ground with a series of C4's planted on the Shadow Bug fighter's chest. Snake loaded a rocket missile, and Bayonetta ran to his side to fire magical bullets, aware that Shadow Mewtwo might reflect them with Confusion.

The two fired their weapons, and Bayonetta transformed into her Panther Within to run faster than the projectiles. Shadow Mewtwo was about to reflect them, but Cereza transformed back to normal and placed the Shadow Bug fighter in a headlock as the projectiles hit his chest, and Snake came in for the final blow with a fist punch.

* * *

After Shadow Mewtwo was defeated, all the Shadow Bugs vanished in midair, and the only thing that remained was the trophy that they had possessed. Bayonetta slowly walked towards the prize with Snake next to her, wondering how to get their enemy back.

"How do you think you save another fighter?" Bayonetta asked, playing with her white gloves. "Do you cast some sort of spell, or…?"

"Actually…" Snake answered, kneeling down next to the trophy. With a single touch of the golden base, Snake gave life back to the trophy, and it started glowing with rainbow-like sparks. Once the fight was over, Mewtwo was awakened, with pale white-pink skin and a darkened magenta tail, not with a black body and an orange tail. The Shadow Synergy Stone fused to his left shoulder was gone, and he saw the two fighters who saved him.

"What… what happened?" Mewtwo telepathized.

"You were imprisoned by the Subspace Army," Snake answered, "but we brought you back."

"Thank you," Mewtwo telepathized. The legendary Pokémon slowly levitated off the ground, sighing in relief that the nightmare he had suffered through was over. Suddenly, the yellow barrier broke, and the world that Mewtwo was trapped in was dissolving, along with all the Primids that made this place their home. Bayonetta dragged Snake and helped him stay close to Mewtwo as she wrapped more of her hair around the three of them, hoping they would stay together.

"Now that we're done, do you think you could warp us out of here?" Bayonetta asked Mewtwo.

"It has been a long time, but I'll try," Mewtwo telepathized in answer. Using his powers, the Pokémon warped both himself and the two fighters out of his world before it closed in, revealing only darkness. The moment the three warriors came back to the glass room they were stuck in, they saw many of the fighters they were stuck with from the beginning already attacking the Fighting Mii Team.

"Did we miss anything?" Bayonetta asked.

"You missed plenty," Zero Suit Samus answered, blocking an attack with her Plasma Whip. "Basically, while you two were gone rescuing Shadow Mewtwo, an enemy Shulk calls Metalface arrived in the scene, blasting lasers and clawing his way through everyone, hoping to destroy us all…" When Mewtwo, Bayonetta, and Snake looked, they saw a huge, spiky robot which was presumed to be Metalface, Shulk's rival. The Mechon grabbed ahold of Shulk, who was trying to pull out his Monado Arts.

"Well, well, well," Metalface laughed. "If it isn't Monado Boy, trembling in my clutches. Did your fairy godmother die again in your lucky winning streak?" A sudden burst of energy then flowed from Mewtwo, who blasted the entire glass room, bursting the windows and sending the Fighting Mii Team flying. The legendary Pokémon looked at the Mechon, generating purple sparks from his hands. The other fighters joined up to his side, and Shulk squirmed enough to grab ahold of his weapon, slicing Metalface's hand off and dropping onto the ground.

"You'll pay for this, traitor," Metalface groaned, pointing at Mewtwo. "Yes, you'll pay…" Samus and Shulk ran up to the Mechon, avoiding its laser beams. The bounty hunter then jumped, releasing bombs from her Power Suit, while the Bionis pulled out his blade and started glowing purple, the both of them attacking Metalface. Dr. Mario twirled around in his cyclone move, followed by both Young Link and Toon Link, who latched onto Metalface's jetpacks and clawed their way through with their swords in their left hands. Mewtwo floated in with a quick purple slice from his hands, and Greninja used water from its long tongue to create a shuriken powerful enough to slice through Metalface's body.

Snake and Bayonetta tried staying out of this as best as they could, helping out with only their projectiles, since they were already in a boss fight. Zero Suit Samus, Palutena, and Rosalina with her yellow Luma avoided the Mechon's claw attacks, the three women kicking and jabbing. The Ice Climbers, Wolf, Pichu, and Red's three Pokémon went in, weakening Metalface even more, followed by Villager who landed a big hit with his shovel and a KO Punch from Little Mac. As soon as Metalface was defeated, he went out in a massive explosion, the remains of his robotic body flying off into the depths of the Yggdrasil, crying, "Not fair! I cannot lose!" The warriors looked at the hole the Mechon ripped through, which made a doorway and a shortcut deeper into the building.

"Looks like we have a way in," Rosalina said, the Luma of hers hugging close.

"What about Cloud and Link?" Mario asked in objection. "Aren't we supposed to wait here until they come back with Dark Samus?"

"I'm afraid in times like these, they're forced to find us again in some way," Palutena answered in grief, floating with Mewtwo to the ripped hole in the wall.

"I know a way where we can destroy the weapons before they leave the building," Mewtwo said. "The only thing to do is self-destruct the Yggdrasil at the control room in the top." All the fighters in the group nodded, walking off to the top of the building leaving a destroyed room behind.


	19. Pt 19: Mayor's Assistant, Phazon Warrior

As Cloud Strife and Link began falling through the floor that Dark Samus was launched downwards, the two warriors were pretty amazed by how deep it was. Was the knockback so powerful it sent an Assist Trophy tumbling several floors down? Eventually, Cloud managed to see the floor as he held on tighter to Link.

"Hold on, elf," Cloud said, hugging Link closer. Spreading apart his legs, the 1st-class SOLDIER managed to land perfectly on the floor, causing a booming noise. Link then slowly let go of Cloud when he felt that they were on solid ground.

"Whew… Thanks," Link sighed, adjusting his blue tunic. "Say, do you know where the light switch is?" From what the two warriors could gather, they were somewhere in a really dark room, with only a few glowing objects they can't even make out. Link then pulled out his Sheikah slate, pressing a button that triggered the device to switch to flashlight mode. The light emitted was dim, but it was bright enough for the two swordfighters to find a switch. Then, Cloud pointed at a rusted switch board, where only one button was visible.

"…Is this it?" Cloud asked Link, forgetting that he accidently flicked the switch. Just as the lights buzzed on, both Link and Cloud Strife looked around, seeing all sorts of wacky items in treasure chests, shelves, boxes, and too many storage devices to count. Shelf after shelf, the two warriors could figure out that on one side, there were lots of spherical orbs, some red, others violet-and-magenta with a large "M" on the front, and there was a button in the center. On the other side of the room were the rainbow-glowing capsules from before. Cloud was amazed by how many there were, as well as Link.

"What are these things?" Cloud asked, turning his attention towards the Hero of Hyrule.

"Back at the Midair Stadium, we called them Assist Trophies, Pokéballs, and Master Balls," Link answered. "The Assist Trophies, as you saw before, are capable of summoning other warriors that can only help the user. The Pokéballs and Master Balls, well, summon Pokémon, though the Master Ball calls forth the pseudo-legendries and the legendries, both of which are extremely hard to find. I'm actually pretty surprised by how many there were back at the vault. Be careful, Cloud. If you touch one of these items, the summoned warrior will be bound to the world forever thanks to the alternated rules…" As Cloud walked near the Assist Trophy capsules, he saw figures dancing around, but not in grace and moreover the pain they're going through as becoming mere prisoners of their bound fate. Suddenly, they've heard some demonic laughing from the other side of the room.

Cloud Strife and Link pulled out their weapons, finding out the laughter is coming from not a Primid but Dark Samus herself. The blue Phazon pulsed through her body as she banged on an old computer box next to her. The black-and-blue creature started screeching unholy cries, and the computer box automatically picked up the screams and translated them.

"Are you listening to the cries of the Phazon warrior, Dark Samus?" the Subspace computer spoke as it translated Dark Samus' cries. "If you are, then try to catch me if you can."

"What is this place?" Cloud asked, his glowing cyan eyes brighter than before.

"Here, you are seeing the birth of a new nation," the Subspace computer continued as Dark Samus kept growling. "Everyone knows fighters alone can summon assistants and Pokémon into this world, whether intended for good or evil. Once our professional warriors call them forth, the Subspace Army will become unstoppable. Hopefully you wouldn't be around to experience the glorious rebirth because you'll be dead by then." Dark Samus then fired an alien web-coated missile at the computer box next to her, destroying the device. The lights flickered for a moment, and once they were fully on again, Cloud and Link gasped in awe when they saw Dark Samus on top of a yellow-bodied warrior with a single red eye in the center of its body – the Yellow Devil.

Cloud couldn't handle it anymore. He ran to the Assist Trophies, leaving Link behind in front of Dark Samus and that monstrous thing. The 1st-class SOLDIER then grabbed ahold of a random Assist Trophy, touching the bottom of its base. As the rainbow lights flickered into confetti specks, everyone saw what appeared to be a blond-colored poodle with her hair tied in a bun, and she was wearing office clothing similar to a mayor's assistant. The anamorphic dog being looked around, finding herself in a scary place at a bad time.

Dark Samus suddenly started screeching, commanding in her own language the Yellow Devil to attack. The Phazon warrior jumped from the robot's back onto the floor, where she levitated, and the Yellow Devil broke itself into multiple parts that flew at the three warriors. The Yellow Devil then reassembled back together, its red eye gleaming at Cloud Strife and Link. Meanwhile, the anamorphic dog didn't know what to do the moment she was immediately summoned as Dark Samus charged right towards her with a static arm cannon.

The anamorphic fighter dodged the volts, swinging out her fishing rod. The hook latched onto Dark Samus' neck, with the line wrapping around her. The dog-like mayor's assistant, with a confused and terrified face, reeled in Dark Samus as she was struggling, but the Phazon warrior burned off the line quickly and used a plasma tether to draw the Assist Trophy in.

Meanwhile, Cloud Strife jumped on top of the Yellow Devil, slashing at the robot's single eye while Link ran in from behind to attack as well. The Yellow Devil then started shooting small but powerful lasers as Link blocked them with his Hylian Shield. The blue-clad warrior then jumped up and threw a blue-glowing bomb at the Yellow Devil, detonating it in a powerful explosion with his Sheikah Slate. However, Cloud was hurt by the explosion too, and he flew right into Link as the Yellow Devil was badly damaged. As Cloud Strife quickly recovered, he saw that he was on top of Link's body after the collision, the two of them facing each other.

"Careful next time!" Cloud yelled.

"Sorry, sorry," Link stammered. When the two warriors looked behind themselves, they saw the Yellow Devil was creating a big explosion, a growing fireball suddenly disappearing out of existence as the Yellow Devil was gone. Once Link and Cloud got up, Dark Samus immediately roared at them as she threw the summoned anamorphic stranger onto the floor with her Phazon tether. The Assist Trophy was badly wounded and was trying to unleash a confetti popper, but Dark Samus was glowing blue with wrath as she charged a powerful plasma orb to fire and finish the summoned fighter for good. Just then, Link threw his boomerang, ricocheting off Dark Samus' black exoskeleton. The Phazon warrior jerked her neck to see Link charge up his Master Sword's power and Cloud Strife jumping on top of her. The 1st-class SOLDIER thrusted his Buster Sword onto Dark Samus' head, pinning her down in place as the blade cut deep into her tough skin. Link instantly launched his sword's power, unleashing a wave of light, and knocked Dark Samus out.

Once the Phazon warrior was lying down unconscious, Link and Cloud Strife looked at the trembling Assist Trophy that they summoned, who was wounded at that time. The anamorphic dog then got up quickly, brushing off her scratches. With a cute voice, the summoned fighter began to speak.

"Thanks for saving me," she barked. "I was beginning to become cramped in there…" Link rubbed his head as Cloud stared at her.

"Oh, I just forgot," the Assist Trophy continued. "I haven't introduced myself. My name is Isabelle, assistant of the mayor of Smashville."

"Isabelle?" Cloud Strife asked. "Last time we were at Smashville, the whole place was deserted, and we were told by Sephiroth that he killed everyone off for food except Villager. Didn't think he would mention you."

"I think there were a few survivors," Link butted in.

"Geez, that's terrible," Isabelle chirped. "I'm just at least glad Mayor Villager is okay."

"Villager was mayor of this town?" Link added in question. "He looked like just a kid, let alone younger than Toon Link or Young Link…"

"Well, best not to underestimate the little guy…" Cloud answered. Just then, the three warriors looked at Dark Samus slowly crawling up. The Phazon warrior was wobbling, trying to charge up a plasma ball but failing.

"Hey, Isabelle," Cloud asked. "Can I borrow your fishing rod?" Isabelle, without question, gave the 1st-class SOLDIER her fishing rod, and Cloud suddenly cut off a long piece of the line. He glided to Dark Samus before she could even react, binding the Phazon warrior's arms behind her back and ending by creating a leash from no more than tying the leftover line around her neck. As Dark Samus was struggling with the bondage and screeching, Cloud Strife gave the Phazon alien's leash line to Link.

"We gonna get out of this place," Cloud said. "Until we reunite with the rest of our companions and burn the Yggdrasil to the ground, Dark Samus is coming with us as prisoner." While Dark Samus continued howling unholy cries as she tried to untie her arms behind her back with her arm cannon, Link took ahold of her leash as he pulled her towards her.

"There's a way that leads us out of this room," Cloud then said, pointing to a doorway. "If we go through there, we might find someone to help us. Isabelle, you're gonna be on our team from now on."

"What?" Isabelle exclaimed. "Me? I barely even know how to fight! You saw how I dealt with Dark Samus. I hardly have any experience from throwing all that fruit…"

"Understandable," Cloud replied. "However, the least you could do is remind us when Dark Samus is attempting to get away…" Cloud Strife and Link then walked off to the door, dragging Dark Samus along with them as hostage. Isabelle then shook her head, running towards the two warriors to join with them.

"Hopefully we don't run into powerful enemies, don't we?" Isabelle chirped.

"We hopefully won't," Link answered as the four warriors went through the door, leaving an empty room filled with thousands of wacky items, Assist Trophy capsules, Pokéballs, and Master Balls…


	20. Pt 20: The Mii Fighter Army

As both the Falcon Flyer Group and the Wolfen Assault Group scaled through the Legacy, they found it was completely empty, and all they saw were holograms of ancient weapons. Chrom walked towards one of the holograms, scraping some dust off the bases.

"It looks like these things were thousands of years old…" Chrom replied as Richter looked back on him. The other fighters walked off to the control room, curious to see what's up there.

"Probably extinct by now," Richter replied. "They were probably scrapped ideas long forgotten." The blue-haired lord looked back at the black-haired Belmont, nodding in agreement.

"Understand," Chrom replied. "Now let's see how we can pilot this thing before-" Suddenly, the Legacy began shaking.

"Can we NEVER get a break?" Richter moaned.

"We gotta get to everyone," Chrom exclaimed, remembering the rest of the team. "Come on!" Chrom then grabbed Richter by the arm, running up to the main control room. Once the two warriors got up there, they saw the rest of the gang had come across Dracula, and he was towering above them at least over ten feet. His pale face and red eyes glared at everyone, and he was licking his vampire fangs.

"Looks like I found some fresh meat to dine on tonight," Dracula chuckled. "Did you really think the place was abandoned after that Rathalos I sent in?"

"Enough fun and games," Fox snarled. "You better let us take control of this ship or there's gonna be trouble."

"It's fine anyway," Dracula sneered, unfurling his cape as mostly everyone held onto their preferred weapons. The vampire count was then about to unleash a burst of flames… until he suddenly felt a burning kick into his face. Dracula then shook his face as he slowly got up, confused by this nonsense.

"Who did that!?" Dracula yelled. When he then looked down, he saw a blond-haired martial artist, wearing orange clothing and a black belt. He was also barefoot, like Ryu, even with the stance and all.

"Glad I'm here to interrupt someone's monologue," the martial artist spoke, his fingerless-gloved hands engulfed in flames. "Name's Ken, by the way."

"Enough of your foolish games," Dracula growled, his back arching forward. The vampire then grew so large that his head touched the steel ceiling, and everyone stared in awe. Dracula's face then shifted, unfurling demonic wings and sprouting horns on his head. Dracula's clothes were then ripped apart, revealing what was left of a legendary vampire now stands a dark-green devil, staring at the fighters with pupil-less eyes. Just then, all those warriors started rushing in, lashing left and right on his body, barely giving the Lord of Monsters any time to react before the fighters, along with Ken, took down the legendary Dracula without even having him move.

Once Dracula shrunk back down to his normal form, Ken and the warriors looked in confusion.

"This is Dracula, one of the most powerful bosses out there," Richter said. "Wonder why it was so easy to defeat him this time, especially when he did nothing."

"You're right," Falco replied, putting away his blaster. "This isn't anything normal, for what good is a Subspace Army boss if he can't even fight?" Dracula then slowly got up, clenching his twitching body.

"What?" Dracula moaned, trying to stand upright. "Normally, I attack whoever's in my sight, especially the Belmonts, but…" Everyone was still looking at the vampire, probably wondering if he was even worse than Vladimir…

"I need to go back to Subspace," Dracula continued. "Hopefully I can get some answers to this…" Transforming into a giant, wispy bat, Dracula flew out of the control room, outside the Legacy. Once the warriors looked at each other again, they were confused by what just happened.

"Hey, Ken!" Ryu then said. "Nice to see you again, buddy." The two martial artists then gave each other a bro hug, glad to meet one another.

"Nice to see you too, old friend," Ken replied, shaking Ryu's hand. "By the way, isn't it strange that one of the most powerful bosses just simply gives up before we even start a fight?

"That's what I was thinking," Richter replied. "He was probably getting warmed up, but we gotta stay around here, just to be sure he comes back…" Everyone looked at each other, confused by all this, but still managing to stick around in case anyone intrudes the Legacy, even Dracula.

* * *

Cloud Strife and Link were walking through the empty halls, alongside Isabelle who was keeping watch over Dark Samus, who was still struggling with the tight fishing line wrapped around her exoskeleton arms, screaming for mercy.

"Is there any way to stop her from screeching so loudly?" Cloud asked, annoyed by the Phazon Warrior's cries.

"Maybe this was a big mistake in tying Dark Samus up," Link replied. "Do you think you can free her, Isabelle?" The mayor's assistant looked at the Phazon Warrior, terrified by its glowing blue "mask". Just then, the other three fighters had to stop walking when Cloud Strife stopped them in their tracks.

"Do you hear that?" Cloud asked.

"Hear what?" Link replied in question before a finger from Cloud was placed on his lips. To the 1st-class SOLDIER, it sounded like he can hear a child wailing and voices clamoring on who should shut the kid up. Luckily enough, these voices were just around the corner in front of them. With enough coincidence, the four warriors saw what appeared to be Sonic with Meta Knight, Mega Man, Inkling, Lucina, PAC-MAN, Daisy, Pit, and Simon trying to cheer up a crying Bowser Jr.

"Is there any way to calm this kid down?" Sonic snarled while the Koopa Prince still cried.

"Not that I know," Meta Knight replied.

"I still feel like I'm gonna smack that kid at any moment if he doesn't stop," Pit moaned, clenching his fists while keeping his anger to himself.

"Now, we just gotta calm ourselves down," Simon said, placing his Vampire Killer on his waist. "We can find a way out of here or be trapped forever having to take care of an overly-expressive prince who won't become an heir to the throne, especially with that attitude…" Just then, Simon noticed Cloud, Link, Isabelle, and Dark Samus in front of them. Once Sonic, Meta Knight, and Pit noticed Link, they felt so glad and relieved… well, mainly Sonic. The blue blur then ran at a lightning speed towards the Champion of Hyrule, hugging him tightly.

"Oh my gosh, Link," Sonic cried, not even aware that Bowser Jr. was starting to calm down. "We missed you so much…"

"It's nothing, really," Link replied, breaking the hug and staring down at the teenage hedgehog. "We were, with enough lucky coincidence, searching for you guys too…"

"Nice to see you again, Link," Meta Knight replied.

"Glad you're back, Link," Pit said, "and you haven't changed a bit last time we met… Well, you kinda changed a lot, actually with the tunic, hairstyle, the fact that you're a right-handed swordfighter now, and all…"

"Anyway, it's good you're back, Link," Sonic said. Suddenly, the blue hedgehog noticed the other three companions Link was traveling with.

"So, this your buddy, Cloud Strife?" Sonic asked, crawling on top of his head and feeling his light-blond cowlicks. Everyone looked at the new warriors, curious about each other.

"Yes, that's my name," Cloud answered as Sonic jumped down. "So, you must be the infamous Sonic the Hedgehog."

"The one and only," Sonic answered. The blue hedgehog then noticed Isabelle in front of him, the apomorphic dog tugging her shirt collar.

"This must be the lovely Isabelle, milady," Sonic teased as he gently kissed her paw in his gloved hand, making the mayor's assistant blush. Everyone giggled when they saw Isabelle covering her face in her paws. Finally, Sonic walked up to Dark Samus, noticing her exoskeleton arms were tied behind her back with a fishing line.

"And this is the infamous Dark Samus, cloned from Phazon energy mixed with Samus's DNA," Sonic replied, looking at the strange alien. "Go figure." Zipping behind Dark Samus, Sonic the Hedgehog managed to snap off the fishing line from her weakened arms. The Phazon Warrior then felt her arms free again, stretching the insect-like fingers on her left hand.

"You idiot!" Cloud yelled. "What did you do!?"

"She was getting tired," Sonic replied. "I just kinda noticed she only feels some sort of connection with us. Plus, her nervous systems could cut off easily if kept on for too long." Dark Samus then rubbed her neck as the fishing line slipped off her body. The reunited warriors saw that the Phazon Warrior was starting to look around, suddenly running off to another connected hallway not one of the fighters checked.

"Where's she going now?" Daisy asked.

"I think she found something," Lucina answered. "Come on!" The fighters then ran off, following Dark Samus. Meanwhile, Cloud Strife and Link looked at Sonic.

"You let go of the bulldog on the leash, and now she's gonna lead us into a trap," Cloud growled.

"I know a lot more about her than you do," Sonic objected. "Now come on. We're gonna lose everyone else anyway." Shortly after, the strange trio ran towards Dark Samus, and the group was back together again after a short period of being apart. From what they saw, Dark Samus had uncovered a locked door, barricaded tight with the toughest of aluminum metal and warning signs telling intruders to keep out. On top of the door frame was a security computer monitor watching their every move. Sonic was the first one to notice.

"Hey, computer!" Sonic said. "What's this room?"

"Behind this doorway is the Yggdrasil's main power room," the Subspace computer replied. "Only members of the Subspace Army can pass through here, but even disguises would not work for intruders."

"Dammit," Simon said. "That was gonna be my idea… time for plan B anyway…" Everyone then thought of breaking down the door to get inside, but the steel door was just too thick. No matter what the fighters threw at the locks, they would not even budge. Eventually, everyone got tired quickly.

"What are we gonna do?" Isabelle sighed. "We're gonna need some sort of firepower to break this door down…" Suddenly, the temperature felt rather warmer than usual. It was then getting hotter, like a burst of energy, and PAC-MAN knew what was up. With a small feat of strength, the pellet-muncher grabbed the fighters in the group and pulled them out of the way, only for everyone to recognize a beam of hot fire blasting into the door. Once everyone looked up, they saw the origin of the blast coming from what appeared to be another Pokemon, though this one was muscular in build and resembled that of a tiger, though it mainly had red-and-black fur covering its body, and its waist belt was engulfed in flames. Once the fighters got up, they noticed the Pokemon trying to burn the door down.

"You gotta be an Incineroar, right?" Sonic asked, obviously the only one who recognized the characters he heard tales about. The Pokemon looked at the blue hedgehog, confused by all this, growling softly.

"Well, we're trying to get in too, so hopefully you could help us," Sonic continued. Incineroar noticed the fighters next to Sonic, and the Pokemon stopped using his flaming beam. Instead, he walked towards the steel door, noticing the aluminum metal was hot and at least soft enough for a sharp weapon to slice through. Drawing his claws out, Incineroar then growled, signifying that the fighters should stand back. With a mighty slice, the Pokemon slashed through the door, opening a pathway through.

Quietly walking through, the small group of warriors saw three familiar figures standing in a dark room, where molding lights flickered above them. It was the Ultimates Reborn, and they were waiting in front of the Yggdrasil's central core this whole time.

"You're probably not the right targets we were looking for, but you'll have to do," the Brawler Ultimate Reborn spoke.

"It's people like you that make this world a terrible place," the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn continued, each one of the fighters looking at the three leaders in determination.

"People like you were the ones that murdered our parents, and their followers watched as they were drenched in cold blood," the Gunner Ultimate Reborn stated.

"We are here to avenge them and finish what they have started," the Brawler Ultimate Reborn finished. "And now, regardless of whoever you are, you are all going to die." Each one of the three Ultimates Reborn turned around, pulling out their weapons, and the small team recognized they would be having another fight again.

Rushing towards Incineroar, the Brawler Ultimate Reborn ran alongside the other two Mii Fighters, unleashing a flurry of fists. The Pokemon managed to block most of the attacks, but the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn slashed behind Incineroar. Trying to look for a deadly blow, the Mii Fighter was suddenly blocked by Cloud, clashing swords with the Subspace Army leader alongside Link. While the two blond-haired swordfighters had their hands full with fighting the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn, the Mii Gunner fired plasma shots at Simon and Dark Samus, with the Belmont lashing his chain-like whip and the Phazon Warrior gliding through the air and unleashing a fury of missiles.

Incineroar then grabbed the Brawler Ultimate Reborn into a headlock, allowing Bowser Jr. to ride in his Koopa Clown Car and ram it into the Mii Brawler's body. Meanwhile, Cloud and Link were teamed up and clashing swords against the Mii Swordfighter, the Ultimate Reborn's blue mask glowing with envy. Out of nowhere, Sonic managed to kick the Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn from behind, running towards Simon and Dark Samus.

Mega Man and the Inkling grabbed the Brawler Ultimate Reborn, pummeling him to the ground and leaving him dazed as Lucina went in for a deadly blow with her Falchion. The Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn then jumped out of the way, unleashing a powerful tornado with his sword. Just then, Daisy and PAC-MAN started throwing fruits and vegetables at the Mii Fighter, stopping him from using the attack.

The Gunner Ultimate Reborn cornered Isabelle, getting ready to fire a powerful blast. However, Pit managed to fly towards the mayor's assistant in time, snatching Isabelle out of harm's way. While Isabelle was hugging the angel and throwing an infinite number of fragile vases, Pit began firing his arrows from Palutena's Bow, but the Mii Gunner used a special kind of equipment to reflect the arrows, throwing Pit out of course as he and Isabelle tumbled towards the ground. Once the Gunner Ultimate Reborn walked towards the two grounded fighters, Sonic the Hedgehog ran in and delivered a powerful kick to her face.

After all the chaos that took place in the main control room, the Ultimates Reborn noticed they were surrounded by Cloud, Link, Sonic, Pit, Mega Man, Simon, Dark Samus, Isabelle, Inkling, Lucina, Daisy, PAC-MAN, Bowser Jr., and Incineroar, all of them ready to take down the leaders of the Subspace Army. With a mighty powerful blast from his flaming fists, Incineroar rushed in for a finishing blow, knocking the Ultimates Reborn out and launching them. The three warriors then flew in separate directions, their burning cloaks flying off and their now-broken masks shattering and becoming nothing more than debris on the floor.

The reunited group of fighters then walked towards the Ultimate Reborn Revealed, now simply known as the Mii Fighters. The three young warriors looked up, revealing their hidden faces. The Mii Brawler showed his lightly-tanned skin and black hair, the Mii Swordfighter his blond hair and light skin, and the Mii Gunner with her dark-yellow hair. Sitting down in defeat, the Mii Fighters looked at the group, shaking their heads.

"Go ahead and kill us, just like your friends killed our parents," the Mii Brawler spoke.

"We haven't seen your parents die ourselves," Cloud Strife answered, placing the hilt of his Buster Sword on the Mii Gunner's neck. "However, we can't say we don't feel your pain…"

"What do you know about pain?" the Mii Swordfighter snarled. "You don't even have your memories… none of you…"

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked. "I have my memories thanks to the fact that I didn't even transform and that Smash Ball inside me…"

"…There is something that we haven't told you yet," the Mii Gunner answered, the three Mii Fighters getting up. However, before any of the three Mii Fighters could speak, the main core of the Yggdrasil suddenly shifted, opening a hole through the floor. Emerging out was the entire Mii Fighter army, and behind them was none other than the one-winged angel Sephiroth. In his left hand was some sort of controlling device, and on each of the Mii Fighters and the Fighting Mii Team (excluding the Subspace army leaders) was a small, red-glowing orb of light attached to their foreheads.

"Sephiroth!" the Mii Brawler yelled. "You traitor! How could you do this!?"

"It was all part of the deal with Tabuu," Sephiroth chuckled, the brainwashed Mii Fighters glaring at their leaders.

"I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Cloud Strife snarled.

"I have watched the actions and courses the sons and daughter of the Ultimates took," Sephiroth answered. "Thanks to the change of plans, we would be taking the Mii Fighters under our own rule… and we relieve the Ultimates Reborn of their duties." Sephiroth then charged a triple-shot blast, firing away at the children of the Ultimates. Once the three Mii Fighters quickly got up after the collision, they noticed they were perfectly fine, but something was different about them, and the group of fighters noticed it too.

"You are no longer the leaders of the Subspace Army, and you are not even worthy to deem the title of 'Ultimates'," Sephiroth said, holding up the controlling device. "You are nothing merely more than part of the World of Trophies, which has been foretold in the beginning. Now, with your people on my side, you and your newfound friends must die…" With the device gleaming, the only Mii Fighters not under control saw as their people unsheathe their weapons, drawing closer to the fighters. As each of the warriors slowly walk closer to the door, Link noticed the mind-controller in Sephiroth's left hand.

"I'm going after that control device," Link said, pulling out the Master Sword with his right hand and the Hylian Shield with his left. "Cover me while I go in." When everyone saw Link rushing in towards his main target, the small group of fighters followed him in as the brainwashed Mii Fighters began attacking.

One by one, each member of the brainwashed Mii Fighters began attacking the warriors, and the fighters were counterattacking as Sephiroth watched in confusion. Link began lashing with his sword and blocking with his shield, Cloud Strife swinging his powerful weapon, Sonic using his homing attack on the enemies, Incineroar slashing with red-hot claws, Dark Samus firing her webbed missiles, Inkling using her Splat Roller, Bowser Jr. unleashing a series of explosive wind-up toys, Lucina counter-attacking, PAC-MAN spamming his projectiles, Daisy using her signature hip thrust, Mega Man throwing blades, Pit flying as much as he could while firing arrows, and Simon throwing bottles of holy water. Even the Ultimates Reborn, now known as just plain Mii Fighters, were forced to fight against their people with their choices of weapons. Eventually, as Sephiroth watched the fighters struggle out of the brainwashed Mii Fighter group, Link eventually ran in faster than Sephiroth could react, slicing his left arm off with his Master Sword. The controlling device was delicate and shattered on impact, resulting in all of the glowing red orbs on the Mii Fighters' heads slipping off, removing the army's brainwashed state.

The warriors looked at the saved Mii Fighters, resulting in the army's leaders sighing in relief. Link and the others watched as Sephiroth held onto the area where his arm was cut off, revealing not blood but Phantom Ruby particles…

"What?" the Gunner Ultimate's daughter stammered, with Sonic clenching his fist. The army and the small group of fighters watched as Sephiroth started creating a red-static aura around him, parts of his body fading away and revealing a familiar enemy – Infinite.

"Surprised to see me?" Infinite asked, floating a little higher into the air.

"Infinite!?" the Mii Swordfighter growled. "If it was you that did all this, where's the real Sephiroth!?"

"All I need to tell you is that Sephiroth himself is getting ready to leave with the monsters and all," Infinite answered. "Now it would be a good time to take down this tower… with all of you in it!" The anamorphic masked jackal then charged a powerful beam, with the fighters and the Mii army looking at each other in worry. Just then, the three Ultimates Reborn lunged themselves towards Infinite, pinning the jackal down as he fired his shot at the ceiling, causing the room to crumble a bit.

"We got this bastard!" the Mii Brawler yelled. "Get all of the Mii Fighters out of here onto the Legacy! Go!" With Incineroar creating a wider gap with his red-hot paws at the area of the melted door, there was plenty of time for everyone to get out with the Mii Fighter army. Once the room was completely empty, Infinite pushed the Ultimates Reborn aside, slowly levitating higher as he watched the ex-leaders of the Subspace Army go up against him.

"You don't want me to have fun with your people, do you?" Infinite chuckled. "First I will teach you pain, then fear, and then… well, at least the pain and fear will end…"

Splitting himself into three individual persons, Infinite willfully grabbed each one of the Ultimates Reborn and flung them up into the air, making them hit the ceiling. Once the three Infinite clones merged back together into one, the masked jackal created a flat, platform-less stage out of blood-red rubies as the three Mii Fighters fell down, dizzy after being tossed so high. Infinite, floating in the air, then split the stage into three parts with the Ultimates Reborn on each one, charging up his powers and fully ready to start the fight.

The Mii Gunner jumped on top of the Mii Brawler, the both of them avoiding the powerful projectiles flying towards them as they tried to keep a teleporting Infinite their main target. Infinite then conjured up a virtual speaker, creating the booming sound often heard in dubstep music. The floor down below took on weird shapes of their own, creating spikes bouncing up and down in rhythm and some of them penetrating the three platforms. All three of the Mii Fighters managed to bounce off them in time. Once the dubstep was over and Infinite disintegrated the speaker, the three Ultimates Reborn landed back on the platforms, only to quickly hold on as the three pieces of land clamped back together into one platform-less stage again. Infinite then unleashed a flurry on fists in the middle of the stage. Two of the Mii Fighters managed to dodge, but the Mii Swordfighter got caught.

Trying his best to stay alive, the Mii Swordfighter set his blade ablaze and dodged the punches from Infinite while the other two attacked with kicks and plasma blasts, even though the masked jackal did not flinch. Once Infinite was about to finish with a powerful jab, the Mii Swordfighter managed to quickly catch the attack, countering and reflecting the damage on the masked jackal. The three Mii Fighters then continued attacking Infinite while he began charging up a powerful move. After a short period of time, Infinite managed to stay alive as he created a barrier that was gradually shrinking fast. The three Mii Fighters could not avoid and found themselves trapped in Infinite's virtual world, where Infinite himself was a red cloud that they could not attack and Primids as they had appeared ten years ago spawned. The three warriors attacked a specific set of Primids, each one defeating as many as they could.

Eventually, Infinite's powers only stayed around for a limited amount of time as they gradually waned. The platform-less stage then split into three equal parts again, with the three Mii Fighters constantly trying to predict where Infinite was randomly teleporting and attacking from there all while avoiding the Phantom Ruby meteorites raining down from up above. For a finishing blow, the Mii Brawler threw a storm of bowling balls, followed by the Mii Swordfighter unleashing a powerful tornado from his blade and the Mii Gunner firing a fully-charged plasma shot as some sort of triple finish, hitting Infinite directly and defeating him.

Once Infinite was knocked out a second time, the Phantom Ruby fused to his chest began showing more cracks, nearly on the verge of breaking on impact. Afterwards, Infinite fell to the floor, struggling to get up while the platforms he created faded underneath the Ultimates Reborn. Once the Mii Fighters managed to touch down on the ground perfectly, they looked at Infinite slowly pulling himself up.

"You have made a very grave mistake," Infinite growled. "Too bad you were smarter than your parents when they signed up for this…" The three Mii Fighters then looked at Infinite, their faces showing signs of confusion and anger.

"You knew that our parents did not die… because of the trophies?" the Mii Gunner asked, tears in her eyes. The masked jackal slowly levitated off the ground, chuckling to himself.

"They did not know any better," Infinite answered. "I suppose you could say they did this to themselves…" Drawing his powers from the cracked Phantom Ruby on his chest, Infinite managed to form a virtual Dark Cannon, even though it looked like the real thing. The masked jackal then placed the weapon on the ground, aiming it at the Ultimates Reborn Revealed.

"I should have done this a long time ago," Infinite snarled, slowly charging up the Dark Cannon. The Mii Fighters then knew what was going to happen next, recalled all of the other warriors who succumbed to a hit from a Dark Cannon. Rushing forward, the Mii Brawler was the only one who managed to deliver a devastating blow to both Infinite and the Dark Cannon, his flaming punch not strong enough to break the masked jackal's gemstone but enough to send the Phantom Ruby wielder and his virtual weapon towards the main core, damaging the control system critically.

"Central core badly damaged," the Subspace computer spoke. "The Yggdrasil will self-destruct in exactly 5 minutes." Infinite's Dark Cannon vanished, and the masked jackal himself slowly crawled out of the debris, too weak to even stop the three Mii Fighters running out of the room towards the Legacy.


	21. Pt 21: Escape the Yggdrasil

As Mario, Dr. Mario, Zero Suit Samus, Samus, Young Link, Toon Link, Zelda, Sheik, Little Mac, Shulk, Palutena, Dark Pit, Lucas, Pichu, Pokemon Trainer (with Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle), Snake, Wolf, Ice Climbers, Ridley, Rosalina & Luma, Greninja, Villager, Bayonetta, and Mewtwo were all clearing floor after floor waves of monsters, they felt the Yggdrasil suddenly start rumbling. Tiny bits of stone started falling from the ceiling as the minor Subspace monsters turned back into Shadow Bugs, retreating into the vents and pipes of the World Tree.

"What's-a going on here?" Mario asked, trying to steady his balance and holding onto the device that saved Mewtwo from the Shadow Synergy Stone.

"Looks like somebody already destroyed the main core before we did," Mewtwo answered with telepathic powers. "We have to get out of here, and fast."

"Somebody's coming this way!" Snake exclaimed, pointing towards the next stairway leading upwards. Running down below was an entire army of Mii Fighters, and they were all heading straight towards the Legacy. When the Mii Fighters noticed the small group of warriors, they stopped and parted a way for none other than the children of the Ultimates – the Mii Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner – as well as Cloud, Link, Sonic, Isabelle, Dark Samus, Bowser Jr., Meta Knight, Inkling, Lucina, PAC-MAN, Daisy, Pit, Mega Man, Simon, and Incineroar, all of which also attempting to escape. Looking at each other, the two groups saw that not only were there new companions as usual but there were fighters separated from them long enough.

"Sonic-a?" Mario asked, taking off his cap.

"Mario!" Sonic cried, rushing towards the red plumber. The two mascots then gave each other a tight hug, breathing sighs of relief onto each other's shoulders.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Sonic cried, pressing his forehead against Mario's.

"I missed you too, old friend," Mario answered, squeezing the hug a little tighter.

"Central core badly damaged," the Subspace computer spoke over the speakers. "The Yggdrasil will self-destruct in exactly 4 minutes and 30 seconds." Both Mario and Sonic quickly broke the hug to understand what's going on in the situation they're caught in.

"There's no time for welcome-back hugs," Sonic explained. "We have to board the Legacy and get the hell out of here."

"What about the Mii Fighters?" Mario asked.

"We're taking them all along with us," Sonic answered. "We figured they might be some good use to us against the Subspace Army, and the Mii Fighters have plenty of firepower to back us up. Let's go!" Sonic immediately dashed towards the path closest to the exit, shortly followed by the Mii Fighters and the rest of the gang shortly after a few seconds later.

"You heard the blue blur," Mega Man replied while still running to keep up with Sonic like all the others. "We gotta get out of here."

Monsters with Mii faces emerged out of special chutes from the ceiling – Giant UFOs, Faceberuses, Ancient Robots, Iron Generals, Baby Dragons, and the absolute worst kinds of monsters being Fiends and Terror Fiends.

"We gotta pass through these Miitopian monsters and get to the Legacy at any cost," the Mii Brawler yelled. "Those monster are strong and powerful, but the Fiends and Terror Fiends are the one you HAVE to avoid at any cost! The only difference is the Terror Fiends having more health and dealing more damage in their standard attack, but they are both the same in the Death's Scythe they wield, but these weapons will instantly kill you if you're not careful! Now that you know, just run to the exit!" Since Sonic got a head start, he began avoiding the incoming monsters, dodging the gravitational beam from the Giant UFOs that would steal him away, avoiding the fiery breath and flaming punches from the Baby Dragons, Iron Generals, and Faceberuses, breaking open the Ancient Robots, and running away from the deadly slashes the Fiends and Terror Fiends brought. The group of Mii Fighters, along with the three leaders, went in to take on the monsters and follow behind while Mario and the rest of the reunited gang attempt to get to the exit too.

Meanwhile, inside the Legacy's main control room, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Bowser, Falco, Marth, Ganondorf, Roy, Chrom, Mr. Game & Watch, Wario, Ike, Diddy Kong, King Dedede, Olimar, Lucario, R.O.B., Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, Duck Hunt, Ryu, Ken, Corrin, Richter, and King K. Rool were patiently waiting for any intruders. Just then, R.O.B. noticed the Mii Fighter army run outside of the Yggdrasil, getting ready to board the Legacy. The ex-Ancient Minister started beeping, alerting the others. In the army, the group inside the Legacy saw that the rest of their friends are outside, wanting to board.

"It's Mario and the gang!" Lucario yelled, noticing the World Tree is slowly falling apart. "Let them in fast!"

"Are you crazy!?" Luigi cried as the rest of the warriors tried scumbling for the button or switch to open an entrance. "The Mii Fighters tried killing us!"

"Does it look like they wanna attack us now!?" Ken interrupted. "What matters is they want to get out, regardless of who they are! Now open the hatch!" The blond-haired martial artist eventually managed to find a button that opened a large bridge, letting everyone run up. Out of all of the fighters within the Mii Fighter group outside of the ex-Ultimates Reborn (namely Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner), only Mario, Samus, Dark Samus, Daisy, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Zelda, Dr. Mario, Pichu, Lucina, Young Link, Mewtwo, Meta Knight, Pit, Dark Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Pokemon Trainer and his three Pokemon, Lucas, Toon Link, Villager, Mega Man, Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac, Greninja, Palutena, Bowser Jr., Bayonetta, Inkling, Ridley, Simon, Isabelle, and Incineroar managed to make it out in time. The other four still had to show their faces.

Inside the now-crumbling World Tree, Sonic was helping get Cloud, Link, and Snake to safety when the Yggdrasil started rumbling again.

"Central core badly damaged," the Subspace computer spoke. "The Yggdrasil will self-destruct in exactly 3 minutes."

"We have to hurry," Cloud Strife said. "Let's go!" The four fighters were running towards the exit when a huge part of the tower fell right in front of them, blocking the exit entirely.

"We're going to have to find another way out," Link replied, pulling out his Sheikah Slate so he could analyze the tower. A couple seconds later passed when the Champion of Hyrule found that the only way out was to go up and take the emergency path.

"Follow me!" Link continued, running off sword and shield in his hands and the Sheikah Slate on his side. "I know where to go!" The other three fighters then followed Link, traveling up flights of stairs to get to the top.

The only way to get to the exit was through the exit window, but the only thing the four fighters forgot to worry about was a giant piston that pushed them through a power room on their right. Sonic, Cloud, Link, and Snake saw that standing in front of a swarm of blue lightning was none other than Sephiroth in person.

"Glad to see me?" Sephiroth chuckled, pulling out his katana blade. "Now I finally have the chance to kill off the sources of the Smash Ball and conquer all of Arcadia with the Subspace Army."

"When you and your friends tried to enslave the Mii Fighters for your own selfish wishes?" Sonic objected. "Forcing that army to keep us trapped here, even if it meant their extinction like the Ancients?"

"They mean nothing to us," Sephiroth answered, walking closer. "Now, it's time for you to die…"

"Bring it on, bitch," Snake snarled, pulling out an activated grenade and throwing it at the one-winged angel. Sephiroth managed to teleport in time, but Link ran behind and slashed Sephiroth from behind, making the one-winged angel jerk his head. Sonic then ran in with a wave of punches, rapidly jabbing at Sephiroth's chest. The one-winged angel then grabbed the blue hedgehog, throwing him aside and blocking both Link and Cloud's sword attacks. As the Champion of Hyrule and the 1st-class SOLDIER were locked with Sephiroth in a dance battle between their blades, Snake then came from up above on a drone, jumping on top of the one-winged angel and placing him in a headlock. Attempting to break his neck, Snake at least tried his attempts to strangle Sephiroth.

Sephiroth teleported out of the way, levitating in the air as the only thing Snake was now holding was a small pile of raven-black feathers. Sonic and Cloud Strife jumped onto Sephiroth's back, with the blue hedgehog using his spin attacks and drilling into the one-winged angel's chest and Cloud slashing with his Buster Sword. Link then pulled out his bow and arrow, attempting to get a clear shot at Sephiroth. However, since the one-winged angel was struggling with Cloud and Sonic, it was hard to get a clear shot. Eventually, Link fired away, and the arrow hit the tip of Sephiroth' only wing. Using black magic to cast the two fighters aside, the one-winged angel began charging up a fireball to launch at the Champion of Hyrule.

Snake then came from behind Sephiroth as the one-winged angle slowly drifted towards the ground, the mercenary grabbing the son of Jenova and kicking him in the back. Link also ran in to protect his friend, but Sephiroth grabbed the Hylian by the neck with his left hand and threw him towards Sonic and Cloud, who were attempting to get up after being thrown. Sephiroth then slashed again, tossing Snake off his back, and once the mercenary quickly got up ready to fire a missile, the one-winged angel pulled out his long katana blade and thrusted it into Snake.

The other three warriors were shocked by what they have encountered. Snake was stabbed by Sephiroth and inserted so far the blade stuck out of his body like a little stub, but the area at the impaled body was moreover closer to the shoulder. Giving off a small chuckle, Sephiroth then pulled out his blade, watching as a quivering Snake stumbled to the ground, losing a brief amount of blood.

"And so, Michael the Archangel has defeated the serpent," Sephiroth sighed, wiping the blood off his mouth. Sonic, Link, and Cloud then quickly ran towards Snake, seeing the terrible wound the one-winged angel had dealt.

"No, no, no," Sonic cried as the other two swordsmen tried to keep Snake sitting up. "This isn't possible. Trophies can't die. I thought that they can revert back to their trophy selves whenever they're defeated…"

"Stay with us, buddy," Cloud groaned, keeping Snake's head up.

"He's completely fine," Link answered, using the Sheikah Slate for any vital signs. "The impaling didn't damage any of Snake's internal organs, but he's losing blood fast. We have to get out of here…"

"It's gonna be okay," Sonic told Snake, tears building up in his eyes as Snake quickly and quietly panted. The blue hedgehog then turned his head towards Sephiroth, who was walking closer towards them. Sonic noticed he was wiping the red blood off his blade, ready to finish the rest of them off. The teenage hedgehog then stood up, knowing that the only person Sephiroth ever wants more other than Cloud Strife is Sonic.

"Leave through the escape window," Sonic told Cloud and Link, who were still trying to keep Snake alive. "I'll deal with this son of a bitch. Sephiroth is mine."

"Are you crazy, kid!?" Cloud asked. "He's a murderous psychopath back at my home world. He would kill you without any second thoughts!" Sonic then placed his gloved hand on Cloud's shoulder, knowing the risk he was about to take.

"Just leave," Sonic said, looking at Sephiroth walking closer to them. The one-winged angel then pulled a latch, shutting the room's door. The blue hedgehog pushed Snake, Cloud, and Link out of the way, leaving them outside.

"Sonic?" Cloud asked.

"Get to the Legacy," Sonic answered as the door was closing. "I'll make it there in the blink of an eye." Afterwards, the electricity room's door sealed itself, leaving the blue hedgehog trapped inside. Link, confused by all this, placed the Sheikah Slate on his waist belt and running towards the door.

"Sonic!" Link yelled. "You have to get out of here now! Sonic! Sonic!" Cloud Strife then grabbed the Hylian, turning him around so that the two were making eye contact.

"That cocky teenager can take care of himself," Cloud said. "It's Snake we have to worry about. So let's just leave and we can come back for Sonic later once the Yggdrasil is destroyed." Link then started crying, placing his face on Cloud's shoulder. He knew his lifelong friend was going to die from a psychotic angel, but another one was going to slowly bleed to death if he wasn't put on that ship immediately.

"Central core badly damaged," the Subspace computer spoke. "The Yggdrasil will self-destruct in T-minus two minutes." Cloud Strife then placed an unconscious Snake on his shoulder, pulling out his Buster Sword. Cloud then used his signature Cross Slash move on the window, shattering the glass. Cloud then jumped with Snake's body out of the window, followed by Link who dived down with him.

Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog watched as Sephiroth slowly walked towards him, giving off a blood-stained grin.

"You had just made a big mistake, dear child," Sephiroth said, rubbing his blade.

"Oh, so you want me just because I'm the Smash Ball trigger?" Sonic teased. "Well, look around you. You were so focused in your plans for world domination that you forgot the fact that more of my friends' Smash Balls are waking up."

"You know simply being a Smash Ball trigger leads into a trap, and that was what Hella told me a long time ago," Sephiroth answered, unsheathing his katana sword. "If you give up the Smash Ball now, then Tabuu's grave danger will not have a risk of arriving, and I don't even know who or what said danger is..."

"So you can take parts of this world again?" Sonic objected. "So you can alter more rules that don't need to be changed? I thought in Arcadia, we could do whatever we wanted."

"Within the Master Core's reason, kid!" Sephiroth answered, unfurling his only wing. "Tabuu is merely altering the rules under HIS domain. And you know there are more than one of the Hand of Creation."

"…Whatever do you mean?" Sonic asked, filled with question, confusion, and wonder.

"Why," Sephiroth finished, "this is something one of your friends is going to have to experience for themselves, but it's not going to be you. Let's just say that… the origin of Hella is a lot more complicated than you think…"

"ENOUGH WITH THOSE LIES!" Sonic snarled, gritting his pointed teeth. Curling up into a ball, Sonic then used a homing attack on Sephiroth, with the one-winged angel jumping out of the way in time. Sephiroth slashed at the electricity generator, creating a massive explosion that blasted the two warriors into the air. While Sonic noticed they were flying to the top, he began spin-dashing at the one-winged angel. Sephiroth stopped the blue blur with the hilt of his blade, generating sparks as Sonic kept going so fast that he literally caught on fire. Afterwards, after Sonic automatically put himself out, Sephiroth then flew fast at him, clashing his sword with Sonic's jabs and kicks. The two then hit a ceiling, and Sephiroth grabbed Sonic, dragging the hedgehog on the top floor. Sonic then held on, and the smaller one of the two rolled with Sephiroth's neck in his hands and threw the one-winged angel behind himself.

Sephiroth then flew almost as fast as Sonic, the one-winged angel attempting to catch up with the blue blur. The hedgehog began avoiding the flaming projectiles from Sephiroth's Materia move while also dodging the collapsing debris from the World Tree. Sephiroth was also teleporting, so it increased the risks of not dying. Eventually, Sephiroth grabbed Sonic by the neck from behind, smashing through the outside walls and flying all the way to the top of the Yggdrasil. Beyond the black-red cloud covering all of Arcadia, the stars glimmered with a beautiful blanket of the cosmos, and the full moon was the largest it had ever been, glowing a bluish-white and shining in all it glory, almost as bright as the sun. However, the finally-clear view of the night sky was not that important as Sonic the Hedgehog had his hands full fighting Sephiroth. With the blue blur attacking with his deadly spins and kicks and the one-winged angel slashing with his katana blade and reflexes almost as fast as Sonic, the results of the match might be turned into a draw.

Sonic jumped onto Sephiroth, unleashing another flurry of punches. Now matter where Sephiroth lashed with his sword, he could not get the blue hedgehog off his back. After all that punching, Sonic climbed onto Sephiroth's single wing, biting it down hard with his small but sharp incisors, and they were tough enough to crunch the Jenova spawn's wing bone and cause its feathery skin to bleed. Sephiroth felt the pain spike up through his wing, and he flapped it to shake Sonic off as the blue hedgehog quickly got on his feet again.

"You little blue rat!" Sephiroth groaned. "You'll pay for that!"

"Then try and stop me!" Sonic teased, dashing towards Sephiroth. The fight went on for several minutes, but to the both of them it felt like hours. With Sephiroth clashing his katana blade with Sonic's tough-as-iron quills in his spin-dashes, it was hard to see who would win the fight. Meanwhile, inside the Legacy, all of the Mii Fighters and the rest of the gang (excluding Cloud, Link, and Snake) met up with each other.

"We have to leave now," the ex-Brawler Ultimate Reborn spoke. "The Yggdrasil is going to self-destruct at any moment and it's going to bury us all in it if we don't move." The Mii Fighter army ran towards the Legacy's control room, pressing buttons and preparing to take off. Just then, Marth noticed Link and Cloud running with Snake's unconscious body outside towards them.

"Open the hatch!" Cloud yelled, holding Snake's wound.

"Let us in!" Link answered, and the Legacy opened up as the ship lifted off just a few inches off the ground. Both the 1st-class SOLDIER and the Champion of Hyrule jumped in with Snake as the Legacy levitated a bit higher off the ground. Once the hatch closed, Cloud and Link gently laid Snake on the floor, trying to stop any more blood from spilling. Mario and Zero Suit Samus were the only two fighters that saw what was going on as everyone else ran off to the other rooms of the Legacy.

"Sweet spaghetti on a stick!" Mario gasped. "What happened to Snake?"

"He's alive, but barely," Link replied. "The Mii Fighters are going to have to fix him up right now." Running towards the unconscious Snake, two Mii Gunners started carrying Snake away as the four warriors looked at the mercenary, hoping he would be okay. Just then, Mario remembered someone.

"Cloud?" Mario asked. "Where's Sonic?" However, Cloud looked away in guilt, ashamed to tell Mario what happened. Walking towards a lever, Cloud Strife pulled up the hatch's bridge as the Legacy started lifting off.

"Where's Sonic, Cloud Strife!?" Mario yelled, starting to cry. Cloud would still not say anything as he simply walked off, not even saying a word…

* * *

On top of the Yggdrasil, Sonic and Sephiroth were covered in blood and dust. The fight went on for a long time, and the two warriors saw they were equally matched. Panting and wiping their foreheads, both the one-winged angel and the blue hedgehog clenched their fists, glaring at each other.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Sephiroth growled.

"Maybe I'm a bit more stubborn than you," Sonic answered, wiping the rim of his mouth from the blood drooling from his lips. "You're the one that doesn't know when to stop." Sephiroth then teleported right in front of Sonic, still having enough strength to grab the weakened hedgehog and throw him high into the air. The blue hedgehog could not react in time as Sephiroth used what little energy he had left to stab his katana blade through Sonic. With a soft gasp, Sonic saw the levitating one-winged angel in front of him, and going right through his body and brushing against his back quills was Sephiroth's blade.

"At least I'm not as stubborn as you are, hedgehog," Sephiroth chuckled, pulling his blade outside Sonic. He watched as the blue hedgehog began quivering, his emerald eyes contracted as the wound going through the center of his chest slowly started leaking blood. He was also in midair at the time, so he began falling to the top of the World Tree's roof before the one-winged angel grabbed him again, tossing him into the moonlight. With several thrusts into the hedgehog's blue body, Sephiroth impaled the poor anamorphic teenager many times, throwing Sonic to the roof once he was finished. After Sonic weakly got up again, trying to keep himself steady, Sephiroth thrusted his blade one last time into the blue hedgehog's body. Gently lifting Sonic off the ground with his katana, Sephiroth looked at the suffering rodent, watching his shaking eyes and his bleeding, foaming mouth. A small wave of Shadow Bugs began leaking out through the roof, surrounding both of the warriors.

"Now that your body will become one of the Warriors of the Dark, your precious little Smash Ball will be taken into our custody," Sephiroth said, pulling out his katana blade. Sonic's limp body dropped onto the roof, his wounds losing more blood by each passing second. The dying hedgehog then collapsed, hearing the Shadow Bugs creep closer towards him. He could only make out Sephiroth walking away slowly and the Legacy in the background fly off without him.

* * *

"Central core badly damaged," the Subspace computer spoke, faint enough underneath the roof for Sonic to hear. "The Yggdrasil will self-destruct in T-minus one minute and counting… 60… 59… 58…" Flashes of the godlike beings of this world danced in Sonic's mind as the Shadow Bugs were beginning to envelop him. The blue hedgehog began to see images of the world within Subspace – the Master Hand ripping itself apart to reveal the Swarms within surrounding the Master Core and transforming into many different shapes, the brief image of Hella suddenly cutting into Tabuu with words that appeared in a flash second merely saying "Gallia reborn. Hella is a lie." However, Sonic refused to believe it, simply passing it off as a superstition. Then, he saw Indie, his body fading more and more into black mist, with another brief flash of Indie transforming into… a bright orb of light surrounded by multicolored rays in patterns even Sonic could not make out. Eventually, Sonic found himself in the sci-fi setting shown when he first started getting these visions. The blue hedgehog noticed he had the golden irises and the rainbow aura around him, but the Smash Ball located within his chest is fading into a charcoal black. Emerging from the stars was the black entity known as the Master Core, but he did not dare strike the blue hedgehog.

"It's almost time to go, Sonic the Hedgehog," the Master Core boomed gently. "Your time is almost up, and this world is constantly changing." Sonic then noticed the Smash Ball attached to his chest was fading darker, and the rainbow aura surrounding him vanished, revealing a semi-transparent body glowing a faint cyan. A dim star appeared right in front of Sonic, opening a window to the world where Sonic was defeated in. He saw the Shadow Bugs slowly cover up his body, starting with his feet and going up to the head.

"Master Core," the dying Sonic whispered back in Arcadia, "please don't let me die…" After all the blood inside Sonic was lost, the blue hedgehog went limp and cold, his emerald eyes dimming, and his last breath flowing out of his lips as the Shadow Bugs were just at his hips.

Sonic the Hedgehog was dead.

Inside the black emptiness of the sci-fi replica, the blue hedgehog's spirit noticed his Smash Ball was growing darker, and the rainbow aura around him was vanishing faster. Filled with tears in his golden eyes, Sonic noticed his time was up.

"You only have a few seconds remaining before you become a Spirit," the Master Core spoke. "If you have something for me to grant you, now would be the good time."

"I want to go back!" Sonic cried, his tears dripping from his face and glowing to become the stars. The Master Core was pondering about this choice.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," the Master Core objected. "You see, this is the true area in all of Arcadia, where your wishes can come true. However, I cannot make it so that you can't return to your homeworld or bring someone you love back from the dead, including yourself."

"PLEASE!" Sonic cried. "My friends are worried about me! I don't want to lose my ten-year streak of keeping my memories! I don't want my body to be plunged into darkness! If I leave now and my friends find me in time, it won't matter if they save me or not. My memories will be gone once my soul reunites with my body! It'll be over for me! I want a second chance! Sephiroth was talking about some great evil that not even Tabuu alone could overcome. I want to help my friends to prevent all this… not like you would understand anyway…" The Master Core loomed over the fading hedgehog, wondering about this choice.

"Is it a second chance you want?" the Master Core asked. Sonic nodded, wiping his eyelids.

"I will grant you that wish, if that is what you truly want," the Master Core continued. "However, you must watch the origin of Hella, or mainly, Tabuu himself, whether it is true or false. Until you are finished, your body will be replaced by your Smash Ball's powers."

"That's what I want," Sonic sighed, slowly getting up. The Swarms then swirled around brightly, causing the Master Core to flash brightly. The blue hedgehog then felt the Smash Ball on his chest vanish from his body, entering back into the world of Arcadia. Only Sonic's soul remained in the illusionary world…

It was only a few seconds later, and Sephiroth was still walking away from Sonic's corpse off the roof. The Shadow Bugs covering Sonic's body were almost up to his neck, engulfing almost all of Sonic's body. Just then, the blue hedgehog's fingers started moving, and his dimmed eyes slowly closed as he took a deep breath. The Shadow Bugs suddenly retreated of Sonic's body as they felt his heart beating again. Sonic then slowly got up, one knee in front of the other, the wounds on his body quickly clotting and shrugging off. Sonic then slowly opened his eyes, revealing not the emerald irises he once had but the glowing white covering his corneas, irises, and pupils, engulfing his eyes. As you just saw, Sonic's Smash Ball took over his body while his soul had to remain behind and return back with his memories to his body once he uncovered the truth or lie about Tabuu. The blue blur, his eyes glowing white, walked behind Sephiroth, only for the one-winged angel to turn around and see what's going on.

"What!?" Sephiroth gasped, seeing Sonic living and breathing again. "Impossible!" Sonic then levitated off the ground a few inches off, spawning seven mystical gemstones in cyan, violet, white, red, yellow, blue, and green known as the Chaos Emeralds swirling around the blue hedgehog. Their ancient powers were absorbed into Sonic's body, spiking up his blue quills and transforming them into a golden color. Sephiroth was shocked that Sonic had found his Final Smash. The rules of this world spell out that once a Smash Ball had generated enough power, its selected fighter get to unleash a powerful move known as the Final Smash, and Sonic's was revealed to show him in his Super form. Flying off the roof, Sonic slammed his body at lightning-fast speed into Sephiroth's chest, not even giving the one-winged angel enough time to react. Super Sonic then grabbed Sephiroth by the neck, his glowing white eyes staring with no forgiveness.

"I thought I killed you!" Sephiroth groaned, gasping for breath as Super Sonic squeezed the one-winged angel's neck tighter before throwing Jenova's son in front of him and following up with a light-speed punch.

Meanwhile, inside the alternate world, Sonic's real spirit was walking around, his body reverting back to the rainbow aura he had before. Before him, he saw the great and powerful city of Civiltatula.

 _Civiltatula was an ancient city designed for everyone to get along,_ Hella's voice rang out through Sonic. _It was built for travelers from far and wide to take residence in this utopian world. The fights that took place in the Arcadium were solely for their entertainment purposes. However, once my anger reached a breaking point, I went on an anger-filled rampage, leading my monsters and enslaved Ancients and Mii Fighters across the city, murdering all who lived there and making it inhospitable for life. One by one, every single one of these citizens died off, and the Master Hand could do nothing to stop me, and it was all thanks to the dark side of the Master Core's powers that generated me with the abilities and the technology to make this all possible._

 _Eventually,_ Hella continued as Sonic watched the destruction she caused, _after all life was exterminated, I finally was finished. I could rule this world the way I wanted it to._ As Sonic watched, Hella used her own powers to create a flowing gown draping over her naked legs, and in her hands in place of her weapons was an abstract, gold-plated staff with a darkened Smash Ball on the top. The Mii Fighters and the Ancients were standing before her, angry by what she caused.

"You have created the destruction of our world, costing us our homes and our voices," the Ancient Brawler Ultimate spoke, with the three types of Mii Fighters wearing hooded capes over themselves and now using the thought translators attached to their clothing. "We will no longer serve you after what you have done. Your actions involve taboo, and no one should ever have that unlimited power. We quit."

 _The Mii Fighters then left my army, roaming the world as fugitives,_ Hella said in Sonic's mind. _Little did they know that years later they would be called into another battle just like the Subspace Army you have encountered ten years ago. Until then, I kept the Ancients under my rule._

"You bastards can leave for all I care!" Hella yelled, slamming her fist into her throne's arm. "I'm keeping the Ancients under my rule from now on! They will help me and my troops to create the Great Maze, and there will be nothing to stop me!" Just then, the Master Hand teleported himself right in front of the young empress.

"You time is up," the Master Hand spoke while Sonic watched. "Your actions cost you your life, and you will now spend the rest of your eternity in the darkness known as Subspace, where you cannot leave…"

"You can try sending me there, Master Hand," Hella spoke. "Even if you do, my army will find a way out, and the Ancients will not say anything about their encounter with me, and not even your amnesia ability will not have an effect on them. They will serve me until their entire species has died off…"

"So this is your plan?" the Master Hand spoke. "To kill off our creations? You know very well that your actions will cause a great evil to appear…"

"What kind of evil?" Hella asked, smirking. "Are you just trying to scare me?"

"Hella, this is serious!" the Master Hand boomed, clenching himself. "He is far greater than I am, or even you for that matter. He will transform this world into the way he pictures it, even if it takes the deaths of billions and trillions. The Smash Ball is what's drawing him here. He will kill you…" Hella then transformed her staff into a powerful sword to replicate the multi-tasking weapon she used before.

"Try and stop me then," Hella spoke. "Whoever this great evil is, he will suffer the wrath of Tabuu." Hella then rushed forward and began striking the Master Hand, with the Hand of Creation himself firing magical sparks of magic that exploded on impact. The Ancients then retreated from the fight, heading back to the Isle of the Ancients to never be seen again. Sonic watched as the fight between Hella and the Master Core was shrouded in chaos as the both were being flung into crumbling buildings, orbs of magic were launched at each other, and both warriors were dirty and covered in blood.

Sonic kept watching as a time went by, and both the Master Hand and Hella were both tired. The two powerful beings could not see which one the greater kind was, and they were exhausted.

"I guess you leave me no choice," the Master Hand boomed, shifting the dim sun so that it was above him. Underneath the Hand of Creation, a psychotic laugh was heard from the Master Hand's shadow, and it emerged from the ground, creating new life. This spawn of the Master Hand was similar-looking to the Master Hand, but he was left-handed and moved in a more chaotic pattern – the Crazy Hand. Their fingers close together, both the Master Hand and the Crazy Hand ripped a hole in space, sucking both themselves and Hella in. Sonic, being the only one unaffected since this was all an illusion, jumped straight in to see what was going on. Inside the depths of Subspace, the Crazy Hand had disappeared, and only the Master Hand and Hella remained.

"Now you are trapped here with me forever," the Master Hand roared. "From now on, there is nothing you can do to escape your fate." Hella then unfurled her butterfly-like cape and unleashed her ability known as the Off-Waves. With a mighty blast, the Master Hand felt that he was bound by the Chains of Light, a mere prisoner of his own creation.

"I may be trapped in here forever," Hella hissed, "but you have the free will to coexist with Arcadia as long as the activated Subspace Bombs are used to create the Great Maze. Time to use you to summon an army of my own…"

 _The time I spent in Subspace had changed me,_ Hella's voice rang out in Sonic's head. _Eventually, I transformed into the person you see today known as Tabuu. As thousands of years had passed, I manipulated the Master Hand to traveling through the universe to gather warriors of his own. Each warrior was summoned and tested by great courage and power of others, and those who have failed have transformed into Assist Trophies and summoning Pokémon, with their spirits trapped in special vessels and only called forth whenever a trophy summons them._

 _That's why my best friends Shadow and Knuckles disappeared for no reason from my home planet,_ Sonic wondered. _I was forced to use the Chaos Emeralds and look for them, resulting in me stopping at other planets and listening to the stories that inspired me. And when my time came to turn into a trophy…_ Sonic then remembered the event that occurred after visiting every planet in the universe, and the encounter with the Master Hand. However, before the blue hedgehog was given the amnesia effect of the trophy transformation, he bolted out and ended up in Arcadia, where he roamed the world and fought monsters until he came across Tabuu, breaking the Construct God's wings and helping the rest of the gang defeat him and restore balance to Arcadia. Once everyone came back to the Midair Stadium, Sonic would tell tall tales of their feats…

Meanwhile, back in Arcadia, the Smash Ball spirit inside Sonic's body was slamming himself into Sephiroth, the one-winged angel's Materia having no effect on Super Sonic's invincible body. Electricity generating from the golden hedgehog's body, Super Sonic was chasing Sephiroth around the Yggdrasil, grabbing the one-winged angel and jabbing him in the air.

"Please!" Sephiroth cried, flying away as Super sonic chased him down through the World Tree. "Have mercy!" However, Super sonic would not forgive the terrible act that the one-winged angel had committed, and so grabbed Sephiroth by the wing and dragged him across the walls until Sephiroth's skin burned.

"…36… 35… 34… 33…" the Subspace computer rang out as more debris kept falling apart. Super Sonic then threw Sephiroth straight down, causing the one-winged angel to fall so fast through each floor that he eventually ended up in the room with all the Assist Trophy capsules and Pokéballs. When Sephiroth got up, he saw Super Sonic dive down towards him. Once Super Sonic touched down, he created an explosion large enough that it covered the entire room, and all the Assist Trophies and Pokéballs broke with their prisoners trapped inside. Once Sephiroth saw Super Sonic lower himself down to the ground in the desolated room, he felt afraid for the very first time. The one-winged angel stared deep into the golden hedgehog's glowing white eyes, almost like the cocky teenager was no longer there anymore. Sephiroth attempted to slash the golden hedgehog with his katana blade, but the long sword he once wielded simply shattered on impact. Once the one-winged angel saw that all he was holding was the handle, he trembled.

"…15… 14… 13… 12… 11…" the Subspace computer kept counting as Super Sonic floated towards Sephiroth and grabbed the one-winged angel by the neck before flying high into the air at the speed of light. Super Sonic then tossed Sephiroth into the air, zipping around and ramming himself into the one-winged angel as lightning flashed all across his body.

"…5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0," the Subspace computer finished as the last thing Sephiroth saw before the golden lightning in the black-red clouds were the gleaming white eyes of Super Sonic as he finished the one-winged angel with a mighty electric kick, sending Sephiroth falling fast, burying the one-winged angel in debris at the ground floor. During that time, the Yggdrasil began exploding, and the massive blast had Sephiroth trapped in it, with nothing left remaining from the world tree.

Super Sonic watched as the explosion destroyed the Yggdrasil, looking into the distance and seeing the Legacy fly off into the black-red cloud covering Arcadia. The golden hedgehog then flew off towards the ship, but suddenly felt moving slower than usual. Sonic's body used too much of the Chaos Emeralds' powers, causing his quills to turn back to his normal, deep blue color. Luckily, Sonic was close to the Legacy, where the Mii Fighter team and the three ex-Ultimates Reborn noticed him in time. Once the seven Chaos Emeralds had vanished, there was only a blue hedgehog whose eyes are still glowing white as he tumbled from a deadly height down to the pitch-black ground. However, once Sonic's body felt like it was the end, the Winged Firestorm Pro Mini flew in and snatched him, piloted by Bowser Jr., the Koopa Prince.

"I got him!" Bowser Jr. cried over the speakers as he safely landed the metallic dragon with Sonic in his clutches. Once the Ultimate Mii Fighters helped open the paw that Sonic was latched onto, they saw he was unconscious, with the glowing white eyes still present and his mouth agape. That was when the ex-Ultimates Reborn knew that he needed medical attention.

"Get Sonic to the hospital room, asap!" the Mii Brawler yelled. "We gotta keep him in there until he recovers!" After the rest of the Mii Fighter army helped get the blue hedgehog medical treatment, the Legacy disappeared above the clouds, revealing a crimson sunrise over to the east outshining the stars and the moon.

Back in the sci-fi setting, Sonic's soul looked around, noticing the Master Core was in front of him again. Sonic knew it was his time to return, but first he felt like he needed to ask the Master Core something.

"Are you sure what Hella, or Tabuu, said was right?" Sonic asked. "I feel like all this is a ruse…"

"My memory and Tabuu's has merely been tampered with," the Master Core spoke, "but that was the only thing to keep you focused in the final battle with my half."

"I don't really think Tabuu is your other half," Sonic objected. "I feel like this… Ragnarokk person you speak about is completely different from the story you are telling. Plus, what is with that 'great evil' you were talking about?" The stars suddenly retreated away from the two beings, and Sonic knew something was up.

"This great evil I speak about… is not what you think it is…" the Master Core answered. "He is FAR different from me and Tabuu. An all-powerful being like that dares not even have his name mentioned as that would instantly summon him here to this world. All I need to say is… the Smash Balls are his targets to create his Lock, and he would do anything to recreate the universe in his own image. There are hundreds of thousands more like me, and we have no choice but to serve him. All I know is… it's not going to be you to save everyone this time…"

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked. "Is this some kind of joke? Wait!" With a bright flash, Sonic then felt the Smash Ball he had before fuse to his chest again as the world vanished around him. Waking up with sweaty quills, the blue hedgehog noticed he was back in Arcadia.

As he looked around, he noticed he was in a hospital bed, wearing some sort of patient's gown with tubes inserted into his long, black nose. Sonic then gently pulled the tubes out of his nostrils, wiping the area they were inserted into afterwards. Once Sonic tossed the tubes aside he looked around, noticing there was a curtain on his right. When he pulled it back, he saw it was none other than Snake, also in a patient's gown. The blue hedgehog noticed the wound Snake had was cleaned and stitched up, and a heartbeat monitor was hooked up to his hand's pulse.

Sonic then breathed a sigh of relief. Snake was going to be okay. Sitting on the rim of the mercenary's bed, he placed his gloved hand on Snake's.

"Knew you could make it, buddy," Sonic sighed. "At least it could have been worse. You could have gone through the torture I went through fighting Sephiroth…" Sonic then watched as Snake placed another hand on Sonic's, the mercenary looking at the blue hedgehog.

"Boy, am I lucky," Snake replied. Sonic then gave off a heartwarming smile before giving his best friend a hug. The mercenary gently wrapped his arms around the hedgehog, the two of them relived to see each other again and knowing that they are going to have to make their reunion last before the final battle.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Yggdrasil, there was nothing but clouded debris everywhere. Both the Shadow Bugs and the leaders of the Subspace Army were gone. Only Indie showed up. The style of chaotic jumble covering a black body began floating around, his gleaming left eye suddenly catching something. The mysterious warrior noticed Sephiroth's unconscious body buried underneath the debris, and Indie managed to move all those rocks out of the way. Sephiroth was helping get the rocks off himself, and Indie noticed the one-winged angel stand up again.

"Looks like you're alive after all, Sephiroth," Indie spoke in a voice far more clearer and angelic. "Tell me: did ya manage to capture that blue rodent?" Suddenly, Sephiroth grabbed Indie by his skeletal neck, pulling the black mist warrior towards himself.

"Where are the other Subspace Army troops?" Sephiroth snarled.

"Back at the Ruins of the Ancients, where they're preparing for the final battle," Indie responded. "What exactly happened?" Sephiroth walked away from the debris, pissed off.

"Those trophies are bringing more hope and light into the world," Sephiroth snarled. "We're going to take it all away from them if it's the last thing we do – not just the blue rat, but everyone else in general."

"What's wrong with a little light and hope back in the world?" Indie asked. Sephiroth teleported right in front of him, his glowing blue eyes looking down on the warrior fading into black mist.

"I mean… it's not like it's a bad thing…" Indie chuckled, rubbing behind his neck.

"Of course it is," Sephiroth growled. "These Smash Balls are rigged, and Tabuu himself clearly knows that. Our goal is to obtain them so that we can power up these Subspace Bombs, and the Great Maze will be created to help defend against the TRUE Great Evil once he arrives. Do you understand, or do I have to pound it into you relentlessly?"

"Y-yes, sir," Indie stammered, his black body quivering. Sephiroth then walked off, unfurling his raven-black wing.

"And get me another sword just like the weapon I last used," Sephiroth finished, flying off as fast as a falcon. Indie then nodded, warping away from the desolated World Tree in black mist.


	22. Pt 22: The Truth Uncovered

Bayonetta was sitting in her room all alone, toying with the strange device they used on Mewtwo inside the Yggdrasil. The Umbra Witch fondled with the curious thing for quite a while, starting to remember battles between light and darkness. The war between the servants of God and Satan. She could remember them all.

"I wonder how you work, little thing," Bayonetta spoke to the device. "No one would... just leave you lying around for the taking. A weapon for whoever holds this that can unlock the deepest... darkest secrets of the multiverse. Unless... the enemy wants to help us in some way or form..." Fox McCloud suddenly entered the room, startling Bayonetta quite a bit.

"Oh... Fox," Bayonetta chuckled, leaving the device on the table she was sitting next to. "What a pleasant surprise. Is something the matter?" Fox looked down on the floor, his mind in a different place.

"Do you ever feel... guilty about yourself, knowing it's not your fault and yet it somehow is even if someone else did it?" Fox asked. "This is the same kind of attitude I've been getting from Sonic before he split up. It almost like... he knows something we don't, especially when we swore to never keep secrets from each other... no matter what."

"Well... if you put it that way, I suppose everyone could be at fault in these times," Bayonetta spoke. "But there are days in which I need to... let go of the past to make way for a better and brighter future. What happened before is pretty much history. All that matters is learning from our mistakes and using them as gateways to a near-perfect timeline."

"So... you think it's fine we should keep secrets from others to protect those from a greater evil?" Fox asked.

"Suppose," Bayonetta responded, getting up from her seat. Fox looked at the device on the table, starting to get the urge he should take it.

"About the device... do you think we should bring it along?" Fox asked one more time. "I mean... that thing looks super-important. It might not just unlock all our memories, but it could be the gateway to other worlds we... might have no idea exist..."

"I think it would be best to leave it behind in case it gets lost," Bayonetta answered. "I mean... it's not like we'll be gone forever... or if that device might... disappear..." Once the two fighters vanished out of the room, a small shadow swooped over the table, snatching the device from the table. The only evidence the figure left behind were two claw marks, each parallel to one another.

* * *

After the events that had occurred back at the Yggdrasil, Sonic and Snake recovered pretty quickly in a few hours. The two of them were up and running again, fully dressed in their choice of clothing, walking alongside the outside dock and feeling the fresh wind and warm sunlight on their faces. Up above the black-red cloud covering Arcadia, the fighters felt so alive and free like they did ten years ago.

"I'm just glad you survived when Sephiroth thought he killed you," Snake said. "You made the brave act of putting yourself in front of us."

"Told you I could make it in the blink of an eye," Sonic chuckled, with Snake grabbing him and giving the blue hedgehog a friendly rub on the head. After Snake let Sonic go, the two of them started laughing, relieved after what happened. Just then, Sonic noticed the three ex-Ultimates Reborn walking towards the two fighters.

"Excuse me for a moment," Sonic said to Snake, walking away from the mercenary. The blue hedgehog then walked towards the three Mii Fighters, wanting to ask them a question.

"Hey, guys," Sonic said. "If you like, I would like a word with all three of you…" The three Mii Fighters looked at each other and wondering what was going on. Later on, the four fighters were walking through one of the many cafeterias that the Legacy had, where a small group of the Mii Fighter army was hanging out with Toon Link, Ike, Ryu, and King K. Rool, telling wild tales about Arcadia's secrets that were not very important. Sitting down with their food on their plates, the three ex-Ultimates Reborn and Sonic sat down to discuss the relevant topic at hand.

"So, Ultimates Reborn…?" Sonic asked.

"We don't go by that name anymore," the Mii Swordfighter interrupted, "but you can call us that if you like."

"Fair enough," Sonic continued. "Anyway, ever since I've been getting these visions about this Hella person, I just kinda noticed the pit you lived in – Ginnungagap – is your ancient home, right?"

"What are you talking about?" the Mii Brawler asked. "Ginnungagap has always been the origin place of the Mii Fighters…"

"Well," Sonic answered, "I just recently noticed that this visions might be incorrect, like they were tampered with. Have you ever met a woman named Hella, by chance?"

"It's not exactly sure," the Mii Gunner answered, "but the tales that were spread from the ancestors to our parents record traces of a woman, but she was, in no way, related to Hella or wasn't even her."

"I knew it," Sonic sighed. "The Master Core, before vanishing right in front of me, told me of an evil greater than himself or Tabuu, for that matter, and Sephiroth later explained that these Smash Balls are beacons to summon him here. Who, or what, is this 'evil', and what does he want?" The three Mii Fighters looked at each other, listening to some of the fighters laugh and be merry, like this peace in the Legacy was going to last.

"There is a story we have not told you yet," the Mii Swordfighter said, pushing away his plate after not even touching his food. "A tale that goes back long before this world was even created, before any of us have ever existed."

"Can you tell me?" Sonic asked, anxious to hear about it.

"Well, the stories have been passed down through our family," the Mii Brawler explained, "but they slowly faded away from our memory over time, eventually forgotten long ago. However, the only thing we managed to pull out from the tales is a riddle…"

"How did this riddle go?" Sonic asked.

"It went a little something like this: _Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock._ " The blue hedgehog pushed away his favorite plate of chili dogs right in front of him, wondering what this could mean.

"Any ideas on the riddle you picked up just now?" Sonic asked, scratching the back of his spiky head. The three Mii Fighters were thinking about the question, pondering with an answer.

"We're not sure," the Mii Gunner spoke up. "However, the only thing we also know is that this savior's not going to be you."

"In other words, people might just say you're too slow to avoid you destiny, and need the work of someone else to bring you back," the Mii Swordfighter butted in. Sonic, for the first time, felt worried about his decision. His ten-year streak of anti-amnesia could be over, and with it his unlimited number of stories he still had to tell.

"Then who's the survivor, if it isn't me?" Sonic asked, terrified.

"Don't know," the Mii Brawler spoke. "Whoever it is, it's someone you're going to have to send off when the time is right…" Just then, the speakers boomed for a special announcement.

"Attention, all fighters," Meta Knight's voice spoke over. "We have arrived at our destination. Please meet up at the drop-off room right away." Afterwards, everyone got up from their places, making their way over to the hatch area, even Sonic and the ex-Ultimates Reborn.

 _Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock_ , the blue hedgehog thought, confused. _What does that mean? Who's gonna be this 'savior' if I don't make it…?_

Meeting up in the drop-off room, all the fighters in the team were gathered around with the Mii Fighters, ready to see what was going on. Meta Knight was the only one to walk right in front of everyone, his Galacta Sword unsheathed.

"We have arrived at our destination," Meta Knight told everyone. "After hours of searching up in the clouds, hidden from enemy eyes thanks to the opaque darkness covering the land, we managed to scan the source of the black-red cloud covering Arcadia: The Ruins of the Ancients." Everyone then clapped when they heard the news. However, Meta Knight looked at them seriously.

"This is no time to celebrate," Meta Knight replied. "Suit up and get ready for the final battle. This won't really matter if this is your first time fighting or even your last. The Subspace Army WILL kill you without any second thoughts. Lock and load, people." As the Legacy descended into the black-red cloud down below, a gigantic, floating platform appeared under all the fighters, with the top hatch opening. The floating platform then moved upward, carrying the peculiar army with it to the roof of the ship. Once it stopped moving, the rest of the warriors noticed behind them were a series of different ships and Winged Firestorms, all of them lacking the Subspace Army marking they once had, especially the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 powered by Faker, the only Shadow Bug that was proven to be friendly but still having enough energy of a thousand of its kind. Captain Falcon was the first one to discover some familiar-looking vehicles.

"Isn't that my Blue Falcon and Falcon Flyer?" Captain Falcon asked, running anxiously towards his ships and feeling the metallic textures.

"And my ship," Zero Suit Samus replied, admiring her gunship along with Samus.

"And two of the Star Fox starships, as well as one of Star Wolf's," Fox McCloud said, getting in the ship and feeling the controls, which were just like how he, Falco, and Wolf used to pilot these things. Snake found himself a military helicopter with machine guns attached to both sides, and he decided to get into the cockpit since he was the only one who could ever drive it. As a few select fighters were admiring their vehicles good as new, Meta Knight walked over towards them.

"We knew what kind of vehicles you preferred," Meta Knight answered. "So, the Mii team and I put our heads together and designed these kinds of ships. The Legacy is coincidentally big enough to fit the ships we once had, which is super-lucky."

"What about yours?" Mario asked, jumping onto an Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorm's back before getting off again.

"Why, my red plumber friend," Meta Knight answered, "I already have mine…" With a booming noise, the rest of the fighters excluding the Mii team and the ex-Ultimates Reborn were surprised to see none other than Meta Knight's ship – the Halberd – moving again, and it was the exact shape and size it appeared ten years ago.

"Told you no ship is too big for the Legacy," Meta Knight chuckled. "Even those who can generate their own way of transportation can join the battle. Get ready, troops. We're almost there…" Both the Mii Fighter army and the group of fighters looked beyond the dark horizon to see their target: the Ruins of the Ancients. This once-peaceful home of R.O.B.'s kind was suddenly turned from a once-great civilization covered in vegetation into a warzone. The sky was raining with Shadow Bugs, followed by Subspace Winged Firestorms flying around and guarding the island on all sides, and for the cherry on top of the lovely cake created by the desolation was the only gateway to Subspace…

"Pick and choose the vehicle you're riding in," Meta Knight replied. "We're going in hot…" All the warriors were jumping into other ships. Even King Dedede was walking with Meta Knight to the Halberd once the Star Warrior's ship drew a bridge for the two cuddly aliens to walk across… well, everyone except for Sonic and Kirby.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked the blue hedgehog. Sonic looked at the pink puffball in worry.

"I know, Kirby," Sonic answered. "Something's up behind this gateway to Subspace. And I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Come, you little curbstomper." The two fighters walked onto the Halberd just in time as the bridge drew up and Meta Knight's ship departed a few meters from the Legacy's drop-off area. King Dedede noticed Sonic and Kirby running to them on the ship, and Meta Knight noticed it too.

"Weren't you supposed to get ready for the final battle?" Meta Knight asked.

"We were," Sonic panted, "but I felt like there was something I needed to ask you first…"

"Poyo," Kirby sighed in response. King Dedede, his hammer in his hand, was wondering what it was Sonic wanted to say.

"Very well," Meta Knight answered.

"Thanks," Sonic said. "Now, I've got a little question to ask: do you know anything about an evil greater than Tabuu?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Meta Knight answered. "No evil is greater than Tabuu, or in this case Hella."

"Well, the last vision I had involved the Master Core," Sonic objected. "He said he was, quote, 'one of many', and Tabuu is merely a slave of this overlord, whoever or whatever he is."

"I lost my memories a long time ago, both when I first set foot in Arcadia and my only time in Subspace," Meta Knight said. "I'm afraid I have no comment…" Kirby was wondering about what Sonic is saying, the blue hedgehog looking down on the pink puffball.

"I'm just saying the Mii Fighters have came across a woman, but they have never truly heard of a 'Hella', which pretty much debunks this as these visions are fake, or only the half-truth," Sonic said. "All the Mii Fighters could pull out from their stories is a riddle that went something like this: _Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock._ I'm just saying I don't know what this means, but that's how it goes…"

"Doesn't Ragnarokk refer to as the Goddess of Oblivion?" Meta Knight asked.

"The Master Core says Tabuu's and his memories have been altered, so it's hard to say whether or not Ragnarokk is a completely different person," Sonic said. "Plus, the ex-Ultimates Reborn told me that I have a high chance of not making it if this said 'birth of Gallia' occurs…" Kirby looked at the three warriors, afraid of what might happen.

"Hey, it's okay, buddy," Sonic sighed, patting Kirby on the head. "It's not like this event will ever happen. Right now, we've got bigger fish to fry, like getting into Subspace and just warming our enemy up for the final battle…" Kirby nodded, the pink puffball walking up to the front. Meta Knight and King Dedede joined alongside Kirby, leaving Sonic on the roof.

"Wait!" Sonic asked. "MK, who's gonna be piloting the ship if you're going with Kirby!?"

"You are, Sonic," Meta Knight teased.

"What!?" Sonic asked, shocked. "I don't even know how to drive, let alone steer a ship!"

"I'm just kidding, my spiny friend," Meta Knight chuckled. "The Mii Fighters made some minor tweaks that really come in handy, two of them being the auto-pilot and another rapid-fire cannons ten times as fast as the previous version." Using the power of love, Kirby respawned another Star Allies Sparkler, wearing heart-shaped visors over his eyes. Meta Knight and King Dedede jumped on the star plane's back, taking off to the sky while leaving behind a semi-transparent rainbow with white hearts raining behind it, fading away after a few seconds.

"Great," Sonic said. "How am I supposed to leave this ship?" Just then, Sonic felt something touching his back. He suddenly realized there were seven familiar objects hidden in his quills. The blue hedgehog pulled them out, revealing the Chaos Emeralds he had before. The seven gemstones then swirled around him, infusing with Sonic and causing his quills to stand upright and turn golden. The irises in Sonic's eyes drastically changed from emerald green to ruby red, and the now-golden hedgehog looked around, noticing he was flying.

"This must be a little side effect my Smash Ball's spirit left behind, huh?" Sonic asked himself. "Time to kick some butt with these babies…" Flying off from the Halberd, Sonic met up with Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede on the star, waving right at them.

"Ready to go, guys!" Sonic said. Going in a formation, the Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorms appeared in a v-style formation, and the ships built on the Legacy flew alongside the mother gunship, ready to attack. The Star Allies Sparkler and Super Sonic then met up with a flying Dark Samus, Mewtwo, Pit, Dark Pit, Rosalina & Luma, Palutena, Corrin in his dragon form, Ridley, and Pokémon Trainer with Squirtle and Ivysaur atop of Charizard. Everyone else, like Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Snake, Link, and Cloud, were in assigned vehicles of their decisions. Others, like Mario, Isabelle, R.O.B., and the ex-Ultimates Reborn with the Mii Fighter army, were waiting for the signal to attack on the drop-off area of the Legacy.

Meanwhile, near the gateway of Subspace, Sephiroth, Infinite, M. Bison, and Morpho Knight were standing on the burnt soil of the Ruins of the Ancients. The four commanders noticed the resistance fleet flying towards them, and in the army of thousands of Mii Fighters was Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Dark Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Daisy, Bowser, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Zelda, Dr. Mario, Pichu, Mewtwo, Young Link, Ganondorf, Marth, Lucina, Falco, Roy, Chrom, Mr. Game & Watch, Pokémon Trainer (Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle), Diddy Kong, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Lucas, Pit, Dark Pit, Sonic, Snake, Lucario, Olimar, R.O.B., Toon Link, Wario, Zero Suit Samus, Wolf, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Mega Man, Cloud, Bayonetta, Corrin, Ryu, Duck Hunt, Robin, Shulk, Little Mac, Mega Man, PAC-MAN, Palutena, Rosalina & Luma, Inkling, Ridley, Simon, Richter, King K. Rool, Isabelle, Ken, Incineroar, and the ex-Ultimates Reborn (Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner) all waiting outside for the command.

"Kill those bastards, and don't let a single one live," Sephiroth snarled.

"You heard the man," Infinite called out to the Subspace Army behind the gateway. "Slaughter them all if you have to." Emerging from the last Subspace gateway, Subspace Winged Firestorms and Shadow Bugs flew out in a chaotic storm, the entire swarm flying after the fighters and the Mii army.

"This is our chance to strike back!" the Mii Brawler cried out. "NOW!"

The Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorms followed the Pro 2.0 as they rammed into the metal dragons part of the Subspace Army, while Primids and creatures formed in midair, dropping down only to be shot by the Legacy and the other ships. While Fox, Falco, and Wolf were rapidly firing at the enemy dragons while doing barrel rolls to avoid the fiery breaths, the Blue Falcon and the Prime Gunship went above the Subspace creatures and blasted them with their lasers. The Star Allies Sparkler teamed up with Super Sonic, with Kirby and his original friends firing star-shaped projectiles that instantly destroyed the enemy dragons and minor Subspace Army members on impact while the golden hedgehog shot himself through the Subspace Winged Firestorms' armor like a bullet at light speed.

It was a chaotic battle in the air, with the fighters that couldn't fly instead jump from the vehicles and Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorms on top of the enemy dragons, slashing through the enemy dragons and causing them to explode on impact. They jumped from dragon to dragon, killing off whatever Primids and Subspace creatures were on the Subspace Winged Firestorms' backs, followed by jumping back to the Legacy once they were finished. Sephiroth looked at each one of the Subspace Army's dragons falling from the sky thanks to the constant explosions. Angry by all this, the one-winged angel slowly retreated back into Subspace with M. Bison, Morpho Knight, and Infinite. The surviving Subspace Winged Firestorms quickly flew back into the dark gateway.

"Alright!" Sonic said, flying towards the retreating dragons. "Let's do this, guys!" A few seconds afterwards, the Mii Fighter team and the warriors of the World of Trophies landed on the shore of the Subspace area. After all that fighting, the ships landed safely with everyone making it. Hopping off the Star Allies Sparkler before it magically vanished was Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede. Transforming back to his normal form was Sonic after the Chaos Emeralds surrounding him disappeared too. The Mii army walked out of the Legacy, ready to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. However, right next to the warriors, the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 crash-landed on the black sands, cold and dead. Out of all of the Subspace dragons and Shadow Bugs the resistance killed off, only one of their fleets was defeated. Sonic walked next to the defeated blue dragon with gold markings, kneeling down and placing his gloved hand on the machine. The only Shadow Bug that was powering the robot dragon before floating out of the steel skin was Faker, pulsing a neon violet.

"Faker?" Sonic asked, standing up. "Is that you?" The neon Shadow Bug then floated off to the Subspace gateway, never to be seen again. Sonic looked at the direction of the companion he found before, knowing they just met before departing once more.

"Come on, Sonic," Meta Knight said, standing next to the blue hedgehog. "It's almost time. We have to get to that gateway and finish this for good…" Sonic nodded gently, walking towards the Mii Fighter army towards their destination.

As the resistance army walked only a mile to their destination, the fighters looked around, noticing the surviving vegetation covering corpses and buildings deep in the cavernous pits below. Since R.O.B. had never been back for ten years, he was shocked to find what happened here. The ex-Ancient Minster looked away in shame, but the ex-Ultimates Reborn walked to his side, comforting the robot that everything is going to be okay, even though closing off Subspace won't bring his kind back.

Once the army arrived at their destination, Cloud Strife and Mario were the first ones to walk forward. The 1st-class SOLDIER admired the texture of the gateway, watching as the dark purple colors swirled around like oily puddles after a rain shower.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Cloud told everyone, "standing right before you is the only way into Subspace. Despite looks, it's seemingly dangerous…" Cloud Strife inserted his hand into the void-like entity to feel its soft, wispy, watery texture before taking it out to look at the team that was assembled together.

"I know what you're probably thinking," Mario called out to everyone. "I could-a probably be a screw-up… well… partially a screw-up. The truth is… when we've first discovered this island surviving after ten years, I didn't think I would get involved in this, and I was blamed for all this happening because I refused to tell the truth. Well, I know what kind of pain you're going through, but… I… don't know what to do… after I've lost everyone's trust…" Mario noticed the troops were losing attention, and he felt worried. Pulling out the picture he still had in his overalls, he glanced at it to remember the good times he had with his friends ten years ago. Just then, Sonic stepped up to give Mario a pat on the shoulder.

"Let me have a go at this," Sonic told Mario. The red-clothed plumber nodded as his answer. With that response, the blue hedgehog climbed up on top of a large piece of driftwood until he was on the top root, gazing out into the distance and seeing the army he and his friends have gathered.

"Like Mario said, you guys probably think he's a dick," Sonic said. "And who can blame the poor guy? Haven't we all hidden the truth with little white lies from our loved ones before?" The Mii Fighter army looked up to see the blue hedgehog perched on the driftwood root, and alongside him all of the legendary heroes and villains on their team.

"Behind that gateway lies our worst nightmares," Sonic continued, standing up while maintaining his balance. "Whatever it is, the truth would have to be uncovered sometime soon. At least you guys are lucky: you lost your voices before having them retrieved again, and your home is gone. Well, take a look at R.O.B. over there." Sonic pointed at the ex-Ancient Minister, and the robot moved himself forward to stand next to the blue hedgehog.

"I want you to take a look at this guy," Sonic kept saying. "He was once a leader of his people. The ground you are all standing on, that was his home. His people and their freedom. He lost it all thanks to the Subspace Army, but they probably didn't know any better. They were just doing their job. Whoever's involved, whether it would be Tabuu or someone else, we don't know for sure, but what matters is that we stand and fight. Are you with me!? With all of us!?" The Mii Fighter army yelled their battle cry, ready to sacrifice their lives for the ultimate fight. Once Sonic jumped off the driftwood, the resistance army ran through the Subspace gateway, prepared.

"Wow," Mario said, walking towards the blue hedgehog. "How did you manage to convince these Mii Fighters to fight by our side?"

"Did I forget to tell you I was once a commander?" Sonic answered in the form of a question. "Get yourself imprisoned in space for six months and you might get the idea…" The blue blur then ran off with the Mii Fighter troops into Subspace, followed by Mario and the rest of the gang into the harsh depths of Subspace. The first few seconds of the true form of Subspace managed to flash in their eyes filled with luscious trees, alien-like creatures, and rivers that flew like mercury under a deep blue, watery sky. However, once the darkness sensed that intruders have arrived, it drastically shifted into a warlike land, filled with black opal ground hard as rock, and only the Judgement Fortress showing its single eye gleaming at the fighters. In a group of Primids and other monsters leading them into the final battle were the four generals of the army: Sephiroth, Infinite, M. Bison, and Morpho Knight, with the bosses that involved Dracula and the Rathalos nowhere to be seen.

"Let's-a go," Mario said calmly. "For Arcadia."

"For Arcadia!" Zero Suit Samus yelled.

"For Arcadia!" Link cried too.

"For Arcadia!" all the legendary fighters and the Mii army yelled, and those that couldn't talk cheered instead.

"For getting us home safely," Sonic muttered to himself. The blue hedgehog was filled with hope as he ran with his friends side-by-side, ready to fight. The resistance of the Mii Fighter army along with all of the legendary heroes and villains ran towards the hundreds of thousands of monsters of the Subspace Army, the two teams clashing with each other.

The final battle seemed like the wars of old, with two sides equally balanced and their hands full of their rivals. The Mii Fighters, alongside the ex-Ultimates Reborn and those who used to work for the Subspace Army before changing their minds, attacked a series of minor Subspace monsters, first aiming for the ones that fly and the others that were grounded. The other legendary warriors used their special talents to kill off whoever or whatever attacked them, even the commanders of the Subspace Army. Ryu and Ken teamed up to fight against M. Bison while Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede had their hands full attacking Morpho Knight. Sonic kept his target-locking ability on Infinite with his spin attacks, and Cloud Strife was clashing swords with his mortal rival Sephiroth.

"You can't defeat us, Cloud," Sephiroth snarled, his face drawing closer to Cloud's. "We are unstoppable." Cloud then pushed Sephiroth with his foot, drawing his Buster Sword.

"I beg to differ," the 1st-class SOLDIER objected, with the one-winged angel looking behind Cloud. Sephiroth then saw almost all of his troops were defeated, with only a few Mii Fighters slain. All of the legendary fighters, including the ex-Ultimates Reborn and the ex-Ancient Minister, were walking closer to the commanders of the Subspace Army.

"You'll regret this… all of you…" Sephiroth growled, vanishing into thin air. Flying as a darkened cloud towards the top of the Judgement Fortress, Sephiroth retreated alongside Infinite, Morpho Knight, and M. Bison back into the tower. The Subspace Army lost.

* * *

Inside the Judgement Fortress, Tabuu, outside of his crystal ball prison, appeared in the form of Hella, wrapping her butterfly-like cape around herself like a dress and wielding the abstract-looking, golden staff with the dark Smash Ball from before. Though the crystal ball was still around in the throne room, that glass prison behaved more like a resting place for Tabuu. She walked towards the Master Hand, admiring how he was hung up by the Chains of Light, weakened as each end of these powerful tools were latched onto the walls and restraining the Hand of Creation.

"Look at you," Hella spoke, placing her hand on the Master Hand's leathery, glove-like shell. "You are merely just a servant of someone greater, as was me. Hopefully the warriors you have summoned get through my little challenge to bring back the hope and light, though you and I clearly know where there is the yang, there is always the yin; therefore, once the hope and light return to Arcadia, HE will use these powers to stop us, converting that hope and light into fear and darkness…" Just then, Indie, the only one to arrive in the room, teleported near the crystal ball Tabuu was regenerating his powers in.

"So, you decided to awaken form your slumber, Tabuu?" Indie asked, slowly floating towards Hella and watching as the black-haired warrior looked at the fading-into-black-mist creature.

"I don't go by that name anymore," Hella answered.

"You don't have to hide anything from me," Indie objected, creeping closer. "You can stop pretending to be someone you're not now…"

"I'm supposed to remain in this form until the Great Maze is complete," Hella spoke. "Not only will I create a world of my own, I will also use it to defend against the one I call my master…"

"So you plan on using the greatest weapons in the known multiverse against their creator?" Indie asked.

"What are you talking about?" Hella spoke, wondering what was going on. Indie then merely just floated next to the black-haired warrior.

"You are really stubborn, slave," Indie chuckled.

"Slavr…?" Hella asked, stepping a little farther away.

"Ten years after your first attempt on the Great Maze, I was released from my prison, searching through the cosmos for you and traveling from universe to universe," Indie said, floating a little closer to the ground and to Hella. "I went looking for the one who bound himself in Chains of Light and Darkness millennia ago, and you're using these bondages against the only Master Hand guarding this planet."

"I had to become enslaved so that I could save the only love of my life," Hella spoke, pulling out her staff with the darkened Smash Ball. "You and your brother destroyed her in your fight, so I had to sacrifice my freedom…" Indie then teleported next to Hella, gently grabbing her hand.

"Don't forget the deal you made, Tabuu," Indie growled, revealing the Chains of Light on Hella's wrists and ankles.

"Yes, master," Hella spoke, and Indie's body started glowing brighter than the afternoon sun.

* * *

A few minutes had passed, and Sephiroth alongside the other three Subspace commanders ran into the throne room. The one-winged angel had noticed Tabuu was outside his glass ball, looming over the four leaders in his towering form – the glowing blue body he once had, the abstract butterfly wings, the single red eye where a person's stomach should be, levitating in the arms-crossed stance he once took.

"Tabuu?" Sephiroth asked. "What are you doing outside your prison? I thought absorbing the Smash Balls would free you…" The Construct God slowly shifted his body, looking down upon them.

"This was more like a resting place, considering the fact that was getting comfortable inside there," Tabuu spoke. "About Hella and my relationship with the Master Core, the memories I filled a few select fighters…"

"What about them?" Infinite spoke up. "Is there something you haven't told us yet?"

"I have a confession to make," Tabuu spoke. "This was the exact same position I forced the Master Hand to reveal to Lord Ganondorf ten years ago, eventually having the Gerudo call me a traitor. Well…" Tabuu then lifted up his left wrist, showing a golden handcuff wrapped around his wrist that suddenly became visible.

"No," Sephiroth whispered. "It can't be… you don't mean to tell me that…"

"I'm afraid the origin of Hella was a ruse," Indie's voice called out from behind the Construct God. Sephiroth, M. Bison, Morpho Knight, and Infinite looked behind Tabuu to find none other than the warrior made of black mist, grabbing onto the Chains of Light that cuffed and shackled Tabuu's wrists and ankles.

"Indie!" M. Bison yelled. "What do you think you're doing!?" Indie just simply cackled at that response, enjoying Tabuu under his control.

"This is something that goes WAAAAAY back, if you know what I mean," Indie answered. "It all started with a fight in the multiverse…"

"We have no idea what you are talking about," Morpho Knight answered. "Answer us! What is going on, Indie!?" Laughing out of craziness, Indie suddenly pulled Tabuu towards him, glowing much brighter. The four Subspace Army leaders were shocked by what was going on. Below Indie which once was every reference the black-mist warrior was paying homage to now remains a pile of clothes that had disintegrated a few seconds after they had touched the black floor. Now, all that had remained was a divine being so bright he appeared in the form of a glowing white orb without showing his true appearance just yet. Emerging from the bright orb were six, colossal wings that stretched out across the room, with the outsides coated in quartz and the insides showing off galaxies behind an ocean blue and a fiery red background, with the two colors each on separate wings but placing the images of the cosmos together.

"Who the hell are you!?" Sephiroth called out to the strange being enslaving Tabuu.

"I'm a being lost-lost in the depths of history," the six-winged guest spoke in a deepened voice completely different from Indie's usual, croaky voice. "The fact that Tabuu is under my power goes way back, during the time when even the greatest clock in the known multiverse was ticking my name: Galeem, the Seraph of Order."

"You're the great evil Tabuu warned us about!" Sephiroth snarled. "You are going to pay for this, you demon!" The one-winged angel then pulled out his katana blade while the other three commanders stepped back.

"Sephiroth, don't do this," Infinite growled. "He is not who you think he is…" However, Sephiroth would not listen and flew right past the enslaved Tabuu towards Galeem. The seraphic being managed to use his powers, wrapping Sephiroth around in a golden rope. The one-winged angel then dropped to the ground, his raven-black wing struggling underneath the tight bondage as the other three warriors kept watching, too afraid to even help Sephiroth.

"Time to put my powers to good use," Galeem spoke, the glowing white orb with six wings floating towards the Master Hand. The Seraph of Order then used his telekinesis ability, slowly ripping apart the cloth-like skin covering the Master Core and turning the Swarms inside to gleaming blue from the usual pitch-black color they originally were. Galeem then absorbed the blue essence from the Swarms into his body hidden from the glowing white orb surrounding him, generating a small black hole. From the emptiness, Galeem then shot out a bright yellow beam, curving its shot to target the one-winged angel. As soon as Sephiroth was hit by the beam, the one-winged angel noticed the golden rope falling off him, and he found his physical form quickly fading into dust. Sephiroth was terrified by what was happening to him as he kept holding onto himself, trying to catch the dust falling off his body. Once the black hole vanished and the beam disappeared, M. Bison, Infinite, and Morpho Knight slowly got up after hiding in the Phantom Ruby's virtual world to see Galeem appear before them again, holding onto the Chains of Light that Tabuu was bound to. The Seraph of Order then pulled out a glowing white arm, his true form still hidden from view, and snapped his fingers. Emerging from where Sephiroth once was now stood before Galeem a semi-transparent, glowing red replica of the one-winged angel with a Rainbow Aura.

"A Master Legendary," Galeem chuckled. "Just what I needed."

"What did you do to him!?" Infinite snarled underneath his metal mask.

"I made him into a Spirit," Galeem answered, Sephiroth turning his ghostly neck around to glare at the three leaders of the Subspace Army.

"You see," Galeem continued, "when I use that beam trick on anyone that has not passed the test of a Master Core, whether it would be an Assist Trophy, summoning Pokémon, or anyone else in general, they become a Spirit."

"You mean you… killed Sephiroth!?" M. Bison asked in anger.

"You could say I did…" Galeem answered. "I can bring back his physical form, but only when they surrender their freedom." Galeem then dragged Tabuu towards him with the Chains of Light, the Construct God attempting to resist.

"You better turn Sephiroth back to normal at once!" Morpho Knight snapped, pulling out his sword. The three commanders of the Subspace Army then pulled out their weapons, but Galeem merely just laughed, throwing Tabuu to his side. The Seraph of Order then got up from the throne he was sitting on, levitating higher into the air.

"How cocky," Galeem chuckled. "Now that I have reunited with the physical realm, I will finally create the world I have always wanted. And don't worry, guys. I still have plenty of energy from the Arcadian Master Core, so you'll get to join your little friend too…" Transforming into a little black hole again, the Seraphim of Chaos then fired three more shots at the commanders of the Subspace Army, and not even Tabuu could stop his master. The last thing Morpho Knight, Infinite, and M. Bison saw as the golden beams of light passed through them were their bodies disintegrating and the unholy laughter from the six-winged orb of light echoing through the Judgement Fortress.


	23. Pt 23: Destiny Calls

The sky of Subspace was still swirling around as all of the legendary warriors and the Mii Fighters walked up to each other. Few of them were finishing up a Primid or two, involving the Villager sticking his axe into a Primid's back, shove it forward so hard the axe was stuck inside the Primid's body, turning the sharpened blade upward, and slicing it upwards, the Villager watching with an unchanged expression as the Primid's upper half split in two, falling onto the black ground dead. Coated in juices from the Shadow Bugs, Villager put away his axe and ran towards his friends, glad that this is all over.

"We did it," Cloud sighed, pulling his blade out of another minor Subspace Army monster.

"We sure did," Meta Knight panted, placing his golden sword behind his back.

"Way to go," Mario cheered, with the Mii Fighter army walking towards the gathered warriors in victory. Everyone was giving out congratulations to each other, but only Kirby noticed something was up as he watched Sonic simply stand there. The pink puffball walked towards the blue hedgehog, wondering what it was Sonic had on his mind. After a short period of time, Sonic patted Kirby on the head, walking to all the companions in the army.

"Uh, guys?" Sonic asked. The fighters stopped congratulating each other to hear what Sonic was asking everyone.

"If we managed to defeat the Subspace Army, what are we still doing here?" Sonic continued in question. The warriors looked at each other, thinking about what to do now.

"The obvious reason is this, Sonic-a: we haven't defeated-a Tabuu yet," Mario answered, rubbing Sonic on the head. "We're going to have to head to the Judgement Fortress and stop all this. We may have weakened the Subspace Army for now, but I get the feeling it's going to be bigger than when we last attacked." The fighters then stood back a little, cool about the response. One by one, each warrior then ran towards the Judgement Fortress, which was still levitating in the air. However, before any of the troops could make it to the door, the ground began shaking. Each one of the warriors looked up to see the Judgement Fortress breaking apart, each piece of debris disintegrating before they even touched the floor. From the sides of the castle emerged six colossal wings, each one a different color of either blue or red, and both of them had imagery of dancing stars within them. As the last remaining parts of the Judgement Fortress crumbled underneath, each one of the warriors saw a gleaming white orb at where the six wings met.

"Surprise, surprise," the seraph laughed. "It's not over yet. Turns out the battle is still going…"

"Who are you to intrude us in a time like this!?" Ridley hissed, his dragon-like wings outstretched.

"His name is Galeem, Seraph of Order," Tabuu answered, floating up from behind the six-winged being. As Galeem pulled Tabuu closer with the Chains of Light the Construct God was bound in, the fighters and the Mii army did not understand what was going on.

"Look who I found…" Galeem teased in a sing-song voice, tugging on the Chains of Light.

"You imprisoned Tabuu when we were this close to defeating him!?" Fox McCloud snarled.

"Our history goes back in time, to when you didn't even exist," Galeem answered. "Let's just say for now… there really was no Ruins of the Ancients…"

"So it was a trap all along?" Snake asked. "You baited us here!"

"Guess you could say that…" Galeem answered, still holding onto the Chains of Light Tabuu was bound in. With a snap from his glowing white fingers, Galeem managed to shrink the entirety of Subspace down to almost nothingness. The fighters and the Mii army thought there were going to be trapped in there forever since the borders were shrinking fast, but they heard the waves splashing and they felt the sun on their faces once more.

Each one of the warriors looked around, seeing that they were at the exact same location everyone gathered up ten years ago, watching a gleam in the sky replace the area of where the Isle of the Ancients used to be. The black-red cloud covering all of Arcadia vanished, showing the clear sky once more. When the fighters looked up, they saw Galeem, his wings outstretched.

"This situation was made up just to call us all here, isn't it?" Mario yelled. "You used Tabuu to reunite the rejected members of the Subspace Army without even making the Construct God tell the truth!"

"You people are just so… gullible," Galeem chuckled. "What you are about to see is the reawakening of a new empire… with the planet you have been trapped in all along as its center."

"What are you trying to say?" Daisy asked.

"Just watch…" Galeem answered. Spreading his three pairs of wings apart, the Seraph of Order created a magical vortex around himself, and the fighters on the ground could do nothing to stop him.

"Hands of Creation, servants of Gallia, call to my arms, help me rebuild this world," Galeem chanted. With the ground rumbling once more, each one of the fighters and the Mii team watched as the Seraph of Order with Tabuu dragged by the Chains of Light called forth someone unknown. Appearing out of nowhere like starships that have traveled to their destination at light-speed were Master Hands, each one of them surrounding Galeem.

"There's more of them!?" Simon asked, pulling out his Vampire Killer.

"Each planet you live on is guarded by at least one Master Hand, hidden away from the physical forms of these worlds," Galeem answered. "As you can see, I have called them all here just for their eternal service and each of their Core's essence of your downfall…"

"Don't let a single one get away!" Fox exclaimed, pointing his blaster at the Seraph of Order and his Master Hands. Tabuu merely looked away in shame as he knew he was forever a slave of Galeem as long as he was cuffed and shackled in the Chains of Light.

"We'll each need to take down ten," Marth said, pulling out his Falchion.

"Stow your fear!" Zelda replied. "It's now or never!"

"We'll win this," Pit answered. "I know we will!"

"What do you think, Shulk-a?" Mario asked, each member of both the legendary warriors and the Mii Fighter army looking at the Bionis.

"You can see into the future, right?" Mario continued in question. "Tell us what is going to happen…" Shulk then pulled out his Monado Arts, placing the blade on his shoulders. Shulk's eyes gleamed blue as he kept seeing futures of what Galeem has in store for them.

"Listen here, Galeem!" Sonic yelled at the Seraph of Order. "There is no need for violence! If you call off your Master Hand army, we can call this whole thing quits! What is it that makes this planet so special, outside of our imprisonment and creatures of darkness invading? Like creatures of darkness never invade other worlds?"

"My history that ties in with this planet is what makes me complicated," Galeem answered. Once Shulk was finished with the visions he witnessed, the Bionis quickly fainted for Robin to catch him in time. Mario and the rest of the gang managed to run up to Shulk in time, noticing his was sweating.

"What happened?" the Mii Brawler asked, shaking Shulk as he quickly woke up. The Bionis managed to see the ex-Brawler Ultimate Reborn in front of him before wiping his head.

"I looked into the future," Shulk answered. "To see what was going to happen in the upcoming conflict." Each one of the warriors looked at Shulk as he quickly got up and drew his Monado Arts.

"How many did you see?" Corrin said in question.

"Six decillion, forty-eight nonillion, seven hundred-and-forty-two octillion, five hundred-and-seventy-nine septillion, fourteen million, six hundred and five," Shulk answered, standing near the rim of the cliffside while looking at Galeem, the imprisoned Tabuu, and the Master Hands.

"And how many are-a there in which we-a win?" Mario asked. Shulk merely glanced down, sweat dripping down his face as he was quickly panting.

"…One," Shulk answered in a tired voice.

"One?" Sonic asked, confused and angry. "That's impossible. All these futures, and only ONE shows our victory? Unless you mean to tell us that this conflict-"

"Is catastrophic," Shulk interrupted. "No matter what I do, I cannot stop some of these visions. It's up for the future itself to decide what's going to happen…" Each one of the warriors looked at each other, worried about what might happen if they lose. Could it mean simply defeat, or something… greater?

Up there in the sky, Galeem then used his telekinesis ability to shred all the Master Hands around him, gathering up the blue essences of the Cores, absorbing them into his body. As the Seraph of Order was still drawing in magic from the Master Hands, the legendary warriors and the Mii Fighter army were getting ready to finish this, whatever was going to happen.

As the warriors were looking up at the sky, Shulk then suddenly remembered something. How all these alternate realities start. How Galeem was going to create his world. How this could spell doom for everyone he cared about.

"Oh my God," Shulk whispered. "This is how all these futures start…" Every fighter in the resistance army heard the Bionis talking to himself, terror in his eyes as he knew what was going to happen once Galeem has finished absorbing all of the Master Cores.

"Run," Shulk panted. "Don't think about attacking or reflecting his attacks. There's no way you can avoid them…" The fighters were confused by what he was saying, trying to understand what he meant by that order.

"What do you-a mean?" Luigi asked. Galeem then was finished absorbing the Master Cores, transforming into a giant black hole. Shulk then quickly turned around, pulling out his Monado Arts.

"EVERYBODY RUN!" Shulk yelled. With a mighty blast, none of the warriors could react in time as the black hole suddenly shot out giant beams of energy, all curving around to attack every single fighter, including the Miis.

The beams of light were first aiming towards few of the Mii Fighter army, disintegrating them on impact. No matter how fast they ran or how much power was put into their weapons, they could not avoid these deadly things. The ex-Ultimates Reborn noticed their troops seemed like they were being killed off and so tried to defend the fighters escaping.

"Get out of here, and fast!" the Mii Gunner yelled. "We'll hold this guy off for as long as we can!" The second she finished, the Mii Gunner was taken along with the beams of light alongside the Brawler and Swordfighter.

Link was blocking most of the attacks with his Master Sword and Hylian Shield, but there was a huge beam coming towards his direction that he could not avoid. As soon as the beam reached towards him, Ganondorf came in with his big blade and slashed one of the millions of Galeem's beam attacks.

"Ganondorf?" Link asked. Cloud Strife ran in to protect the Hylian as the Gerudian was blocking the beams with his sword.

"Leave with the Champion of Hyrule, human," Ganondorf told Cloud. "I'll stall these things." While Cloud Strife was running off with Link, the Gerudo lord was still attacking before being instantly attacked by one of the beams, disintegrating like the others. Another beam was targeting both Cloud and Link, closing in faster. The Hylian noticed what was going to happen to them and hugged Cloud in fear. The 1st-class SOLDIER would not let the disintegration effect occur to anyone, including himself and Link, so he pulled out his Buster Sword just in time before the beam engulfed both blond-haired swordsmen.

Simon and Richter Belmont tried getting into the Big Blue with Captain Falcon, but they were easily defeated before they could even leave. Isabelle and Villager jumped onto Ridley's back while the Space Pirate was carrying King K. Rool into the air. However, they too were slow enough for the beams to catch them as well. Snake thought the little "hiding in his cardboard box" trick would help, but he was sadly taken by another beam as well. Fox, Falco, and Wolf tried hopping into their starships, but they were either taken before they even lifted off or tried blasting off at the speed of light. No matter what was the case, the three anthropomorphic star pilots were engulfed by beams of light. Zelda teamed up with Mewtwo as soon as she saw Sheik taken, jumping high into the air with the legendary Pokemon, and the two magic wielders attempted on reflecting. However, it sadly had no effect on their abilities as they were attacked by the light beams. When Clementine saw another beam of light heading straight towards her, the Inkling quickly created a puddle of orange ink and hid in there. It apparently had no effect because if she supposedly dies, she's taking the ground with her.

Left and right, troops of the Mii Fighter army were quickly being disintegrated alive, and the legendary warriors of the World of Trophies were attacked as well. The fighters that could pilot ships were engulfed before they even took off, and those that could fly on their own were shortly attacked before fading into dust. Mario was still running away from the black hole shooting the beams of light, but he tripped before he saw another deadly light run towards him. The red plumber suddenly saw his brother Luigi step up in front of him, setting the Poltergust device he had up to maximum overdrive which created a vortex that sucked everything in.

"Keep-a running, Mario!" Luigi spoke as the beam of light was drawing closer. As soon as the energy attack reached the two brothers, a blue blur zipped inbetween Mario and Luigi, taking the red plumber. Mario looked at who was carrying him, and it was apparently Sonic. The red plumber quickly managed to catch a glimpse of his brother Luigi trying to suck the beam of light with his vacuum weapon, but was quickly defeated as it disintegrated him. Once Sonic ran at a safe location from the beams of light, the blue hedgehog let Mario slip off his spiny back as the red plumber quickly sat up.

"What-a do you think you're doing here!?" Mario asked.

"I'm trying to get as many of you guys out of here," Sonic answered. "Didn't you hear Shulk? You can't attack or reflect these things. No matter how hard you try, the only thing you can do to avoid the beams is just run. No questions asked. Just run." Mario looked down on the ground, watching as most of his friends mysteriously disappeared, and those that are surviving were not around for very long. The blue hedgehog helped the red plumber stand up, but Mario placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder.

"You're the one who needs to run," Mario said. "Just run away from here as fast as you can. Don't even look back."

"What!?" Sonic exclaimed. "No! I just reunited with you guys. I can't lose you again!" Mario then placed a hand on the blue hedgehog's cheek, understanding Sonic's pain.

"Just do as I say, Sonic-a," Mario said. The red plumber then pulled out the picture he had hidden in his overalls, handing them to Sonic the Hedgehog. As the blue blur noticed the strange sheet of paper, he quickly made up that it was the picture everyone took at the Midair Stadium ten years ago, long-forgotten by everyone else since it was covered with dust and flaking black corners, and the permanent marker that spelled "Smash Bros. 2008" was slowly fading away.

"That's the photo we took… back during our first victory against the Subspace Army…" Sonic said, his voice starting to break. "Oh, Mario… I completely forgot… I didn't mean-" Mario then placed a finger on Sonic's muzzle, the two starting to show tears in their eyes.

"Don't forget about us," Mario interrupted, closing Sonic's hands with the photograph in them. "Just run. Push me and run…"

"Won't… won't that be betrayal?" Sonic asked.

"It doesn't really matter anymore," Mario answered. "What matters is that you simply run…" Beginning to cry, the blue hedgehog hugged the red plumber, tightening his grasp so that it almost feels like he never wants to let this moment go. The two fighters were still hearing the warlike cries and screams of the other warriors, with another one of Galeem's beams of light heading straight towards them.

"Goodbye again," Sonic wept as Mario planted a small kiss on the top of the blue hedgehog's forehead. Through an act of safety, Sonic pushed Mario off the safe zone into the beam of light, quickly running in tears as he didn't even get the chance to see the red plumber disintegrate. As the blue hedgehog was running, he saw all of the good friends he made suddenly engulfed in the beams of light, Mii Fighter troops and all. Not even the Legacy and all of the other ships in the distance could stop Galeem's attack as they exploded on impact by the beams of light while firing away at the vortex. Kirby managed to create a Warp Star out of thin air with the same ability as with what he used to make the Star Allies Sparkler, serving as a fast means of transportation. The pink puffball piloted the Warp Star as fast as he could, lowering it to the ground so that Meta Knight and King Dedede could jump on from a rocky thumb protruding out of the rocky dirt.

"Kirby, think fast!" Meta Knight called out while holding King Dedede's hand. The pink puffball tried moving the Warp Star closer to the two Dream Friends. However, before Meta Knight and King Dedede even touched Kirby's stubby hand, they were engulfed by a beam of light, disintegrating as Kirby piloted the Warp Star faster away from the warzone, looks of fear on his cuddly face. Sonic the Hedgehog ran next to Kirby in time, jumping onto the Warp Star so that the two could escape.

"Keep going!" Sonic ordered Kirby. The pink puffball nodded, putting more of the love energy into the Warp Star he created. The blue hedgehog then noticed Pit and Dark Pit flying next to the Warp Star, both angels being powered by Palutena's Gift of Flight.

"Nice going, Pit-stain!" Dark Pit snarled. "'We'll win this. I know we will.' How stupid are you!?"

"I didn't know what was going to happen, Pittoo!" Pit cried. "Besides, if anything were to happen to Lady Palutena as she's guiding us out of here, we're done for!"

"Get on, guys!" Sonic called out to the two angels. "Quit arguing and let's go!" Both Pit and his doppelganger were just about to grab onto the Warp Star, but Palutena was engulfed by another beam of light like all the others. Once the two angels felt the Gift of Flight in their wings was gone, they were falling to their death, trying to reach for Sonic as they disintegrated as well. The beam that attacked Pit and Dark Pit was close to the Warp Star as well, so Sonic and Kirby were trying to hold on as they were sent tumbling. The pink puffball managed to keep the Warp Star moving, but both fighters were so close to the ground that the Warp Star was screeching as its behind was scratching the cliffside stone. Not only that, but behind the two warriors was another beam of light heading straight towards them, and right in front of them was a 300-foot drop of death that the fighters forgot to check ten years ago before they left, and water was surrounding the entire island the cliffside was shown on.

"I don't think there's really a choice here since the Warp Star can't carry the both of us, Kirby," Sonic said to the pink puffball, knowing that they were too heavy to be supported by the Warp Star now. "We slow down, we both die. We keep going any faster, we both die. There's nothing we can do unless…" The blue hedgehog suddenly came to the only conclusion that he was about to make.

"…Unless one of us gets off first…" Sonic then looked to his right, watching as Kirby was anticipated to get the both of them off. The blue hedgehog then slowly moved closer to the pink puffball. When Kirby felt the blue hedgehog rub the back of his round body, the pink puffball looked at Sonic with black-and-blue eyes.

"Kirby?" Sonic asked, watching as the beam of light was approaching closer to them.

"Kirby, there's something I need to do for your safety," Sonic said.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked gently as the Warp Star was moving closer to the deadly drop.

"I need you to get out of here as quickly as possible," Sonic answered.

"Poyo-poyo?" Kirby asked. Sonic then placed his gloved hand on Kirby's stubby arm.

"Don't worry about me," Sonic answered. "Your safety matters much more to me than even my own memories. There is also a riddle spoken to me, and I want you to remember it: _Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock._ Remember this message, okay? It might help in the future..." The beam of light was approaching closer to the two fighters, the Warp Star losing more energy the faster it went. Sonic then handed Kirby the picture that was given to the blue hedgehog a minute before Mario supposedly died.

"…Poyo?" Kirby asked, confused by what was happening.

"Whatever you do, don't lose the memories we had together… not as friends, but as family," Sonic wept, tears building up in his eyes. Kirby took a good look at the picture that was given to him, and the pink puffball looked at the blue hedgehog in confusion and watery eyes.

"Poyo-po?" Kirby asked, his adorable voice breaking. Sonic then hugged the pink puffball, sobbing into Kirby's pillow-like body. The beam of light drew in closer, and so did the death drop. The Warp Star slowed down enough for Sonic to jump off while still holding on from the back. As Kirby held onto the photograph, he looked behind to see Sonic the Hedgehog, the only fighter that had survived ten years without losing his memories to a trophy transformation, sacrificing his life for the pink puffball.

"Godspeed, you little curbstomper," Sonic whispered, a river of tears flowing from his conjoined eyes as he placed his feet on the ground, keeping up with the speed of the Warp Star.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried. Sonic then picked up the Warp Star from behind, running as fast as he could from the beam of light that was targeting the two fighters. To the blue hedgehog, it seemed like he managed to slow down the beam heading straight towards them with Kirby hanging on. With one last feat of strength, Sonic stopped instantly at the rim of the death drop, throwing the Warp Star out of sight with Kirby in it. The beam of light went above the blue hedgehog as it attempted to catch up to the pink puffball.

"I know you can save us all," Sonic wept quietly, standing on the rim of the 300-foot drop, his arms folded across his chest. He saw Kirby with the photograph the blue hedgehog gave him simply fly off into the sky faster than the speed of light. Pikachu hopped towards Sonic, battered and bruised while trying to avoid the beams. Once the mouse-like Pokémon turned his head towards the blue hedgehog, Pikachu tried giving off the cutest smile he had on, even though times were bad. However, Sonic mainly looked down on Pikachu, streams of tears running down his face as he clenched his teeth, giving sign to the Pokémon that there is no hope to escape from Galeem for the rest of the fighters and the Mii army. With the sadness spreading to Pikachu, beads of water built up in the Pokémon's face as the rim of his mouth trembled.

"Pika-pi…" Pikachu wept. The blue hedgehog then knelt down, opening his arms a bit to let the Pokémon cuddle into him. Without anything to do, Pikachu ran towards Sonic, knowing his love for smaller animals shined through him. As the two tightly hugged each other, Pikachu cried into Sonic's shoulder, with the blue blur silently hiccuping as he tried to hold back his tears. Up there, in the sky still holding onto the Warp Star and the photograph taken ten years ago, the last thing Kirby saw was Sonic hugging Pikachu in a caring manner, the two shutting their eyes as tears dripped down their face before another beam of light engulfed the two warriors, disintegrating them on impact. One more beam was heading straight towards Kirby, about to reach the pink puffball, but the power of love was so great in Kirby that it powered the Warp Star up to max, causing the young Star Warrior and the transportation device explode into smaller stars that vanished a few seconds later before the beam managed to catch up to them.

As the only remaining legendary warriors and the Mii Fighter troops were caught in Galeem's blasts, the beams of light then shot up across the sky, engulfing the planet before spreading across the solar system Arcadia was located in. Once all of the other planets surrounding their sun were caught in Galeem's attack, the beams of light then quickly spread to other stars and worlds. Afterwards, the whole galaxy that Arcadia was identified to reside in was engulfed in one massive explosion of light, following up with all of the clusters and superclusters in space, spreading across all of the other universes in existence. During that time, all of the people that weren't made into fighters were engulfed as well, transforming into the Spirits. Afterwards, the whole multiverse was covered in light, instantly shrinking down until there was nothing… but the silent, black death of space.


	24. Pt 24: The Harsh Reality

Darkness covered the area. There was nothing but the silence of death. Mario slowly stirred from his unconsciousness back to reality. The red plumber felt like he was trapped in a dream. He slowly felt like he could not move anywhere. Just then, the floor underneath him gave way, moving Mario up to a bright light from far away. As the lights went back into his eyes, Mario saw the only reason he could not move was because he was chained up. Cuffs that covered his hands were revealed, as well as shackles attached to his feet, with both welded to iron chains that were bolted to a golden trophy base that Mario was standing on. Once the trophy base stopped moving, he looked around, seeing all his friends around him in the exact same position he was in: imprisoned in chains and latched to golden bases of trophies, with all of them bearing the Smash Ball symbol. Everyone was fixed to look in the same direction, some of them struggling to break free.

"Sonic-a?" Mario asked, noticing the blue hedgehog in the group of imprisoned fighters.

"Sorry, buddy," Sonic answered, looking down in shame. "There was nowhere to go. None of us could even escape…"

"It's okay," Mario answered. "We'll always get out of these scrapes, right?" Every single one of the fighters looked away in fear. Just then, the light from before grew brighter again, revealing the being behind all this: Galeem. The Seraph of Order then dragged Tabuu by his Chains of Light, the Construct God looking down in envy.

"Surprised to see me?" Galeem asked, each one of the warriors struggling with their special abilities – transformations, elemental powers, and more.

"No need to escape," Galeem continued. "No matter what kinds of tricks you have up your sleeves, these chains know exactly what your next move is and counter-defend, making it completely hopeless…"

"Galeem!" the Mii Swordfighter growled. "What did you do to the Mii Fighter army!?"

"Why would you get the nerve to think I did something horrible to your people, Ultimates Reborn?" Galeem asked. "They're right here…" With a snap of his glowing fingers, Galeem pulled down thousands of charcoal-black cages, each one carrying several Mii Fighters at a time, with each one roped together by the golden bondages.

"Look at you," Galeem asked, admiring at how many fighters he had enslaved and gathered. "Look at all of you. Every single warrior that has ever passed the test of Arcadia's Master Hand is here." Galeem then snapped his fingers again, calling forth a glowing Buckot to look at all the warriors. The order they were viewed was at random, but the best you should know was that Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Dr. Mario, Rosalina & Luma, Bowser Jr., Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Link, Zelda, Sheik, Ganondorf, Young Link, Toon Link, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Pichu, Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard), Lucario, Greninja, Captain Falcon, Ness, Lucas, Ice Climbers, Marth, Lucina, Roy, Ike, Robin, Corrin, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit, Dark Pit, Palutena, Wario, Olimar, R.O.B., Villager, Little Mac, Wii Fit Trainer, Shulk, Duck Hunt, Daisy, King K. Rool, Ridley, Dark Samus, Incineroar, Chrom, Isabelle, Inkling, Snake, Sonic, Mega Man, PAC-MAN, Ryu, Ken, Cloud, Bayonetta, Simon, Richter, Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner were all present, bound in iron chains and latched onto perfectly aligned trophy cases.

"Wait a minute…" Galeem muttered. Sending the Buckot to check again, the Subspace Army creature replica shone a light on an empty trophy base. When the Seraph of Order saw that one of the fighters was missing, he floated a little higher, pulsing brighter in light as a means to show he was angry about something.

"It looks like I'm forgetting someone," Galeem spoke. All of the other fighters suddenly looked around, trying to see who it was among them that escaped.

"You," Galeem growled, shining a spotlight on Sonic the Hedgehog. When the blue blur was picked, he knew that he did something to deserve getting the seraph's attention. With a wave of his wrist, Galeem used his telekinesis ability to shift Sonic's trophy base towards him. Once Sonic was at a legit distance, the Seraph of Order levitated a little closer.

"Where is he?" Galeem growled.

"Where's who?" Sonic teased, struggling with the cuffs and shackles. "There are a lot of male warriors in our group, and by a lot, I mean 'a LOT' a lot-"

"SILENCE!" Galeem yelled, his deafening voice echoing through the darkness and shaking the cages the Mii Fighters were trapped in.

"I know exactly what you did," Galeem continued. "When I unleashed that little attack, did you not think that I can see every move you miserable wimps pull up out of your sleeves?"

"Now that I think about it, no," Sonic answered, smirking. In a low growl, Galeem shifted back a little, each one of the legendary warriors trembling.

"You know who I'm referring to, everyone," Galeem continued. "One of the most adorable fighters on your team; soft and cuddly, like a big pillow, pink all over and those big, black-and-blue eyes. Sounds like a familiar 'someone' you want to snuggle into, doesn't it?" The fighters looked at Galeem as he flicked his wrist again, quickly thrusting Sonic's trophy base close enough for the blue hedgehog to stumble and fall. Once the blue hedgehog got up, he saw Galeem closer to him.

"Where is the pink puffball you call Kirby?" Galeem asked Sonic.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sonic laughed, pulling on his cuffs. "If you even think about torturing me for information before I open my little mouth, go ahead. My lips are shut, and you won't get a single word out of me. Zip. Nothing." Galeem then snapped his fingers, calling forth another Master Hand. The Hand of Creation then used the lights protruding from Galeem to summon its Crazy Hand from its shadow, and the two Hands then grabbed Sonic's cuffed arms. A sudden shot of energy painfully and quickly traveled through the blue hedgehog's body, for both that Master Hand and Crazy Hand were linking their powers together so that they could electrocute the poor fighter. As Sonic was still being zapped and crying in pain, some of the fighters were attempting to break the chains to save the blue hedgehog.

"Monster!" Fox cried. "Let him go!"

"Have pity on us!" one Mii Fighter called out from the cages hanging up above. "Free us all!" A clamoring of Mii Fighters and the other warriors were speaking indistinguishable to be let go along with Sonic. Once Galeem had enough of watching the blue hedgehog suffer from the electrocutions of the Master Hand and Crazy Hand, the seraph then snapped his fingers again, causing the Master Hand to float behind the Seraph of Order and the Crazy Hand to disappear in the darkness.

"I'll ask you again, you miserable rodent," Galeem asked in a harsher tone, watching as Sonic was quivering while getting up. "Where is Kirby?"

"You know what?" Sonic panted. "I actually don't know. I guess I must've sent Kirby flying off so far not even you and I know where he landed, or even know if he did land at all. The only thing that matters is that he's the only known fighter outside of your grasp, and he's going to save us all, even Tabuu. Sure, the Construct God may be our mortal enemy, but you are using him as a means to call us all here, therefore making it so that he needs our help as well! You can't stop the ever-glowing light within us!" Galeem noticed Tabuu, who was bound in Chains of Light, sulking off and bowing his head in shame.

"Then I suppose I'll take the light from inside you and use its powers to turn you all against the pink puffball," Galeem spoke, flicking his wrist again to move to where Sonic was originally placed before. Once the blue hedgehog was placed back in the group of fighters, they all could simply watch as the seraph dragged Tabuu towards him.

"Do it," Galeem ordered Tabuu. "Use your Off-Waves. Revert all of the fighters in the room back to their trophy selves. Make the Mii Fighters one of the Subspace Army. That way, you can help me banish the Arcadian trophies' Spirits to exile and we can use their Smash Balls to make the Lock."

"The Lock?" Tabuu asked in a weakened tone. Galeem then rubbed one of his wings on the Construct God's back, chuckling.

"You know about the Lock, don't you?" Galeem answered in the form of a question. Galeem then lashed the Chains of Light at Tabuu, forcing the Construct God to float in front of the Seraph of Order. The warriors of the World of Trophies then suddenly felt the cyan rope winding around their bodies like serpents, tightening their coils and turning golden.

"It's just to ensure you that you belong to me now," Galeem spoke to the fighters as Tabuu spread his butterfly-like wings, gathering up energy. The fighters were terrified by what was about to happen, few of the warriors still struggling with their bondages.

"No matter-a what, we just have to stay together," Mario said to all of his friends. "Keep our hopes up… help-a Kirby save us in our greatest time of need… and reawaken the undying light…" As soon as Tabuu unleashed his signature move, a great vortex surrounded the Construct God, blinding all of the warriors and the Mii Fighters in a white light. The last thing any of the fighters remembered before feeling their bodies harden was the evil laughter of Galeem echoing through their minds…

* * *

Traveling at the speed of sound, Kirby was still holding on to the Warp Star he was riding on, shutting his eyes tight and never opening them, clinging tight to the photograph Sonic gave him. Just then, the pink puffball heard the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. Kirby slowly opened up his eyes, seeing that he was traveling inside darkened clouds. The air felt chillingly cold as Kirby heard the roar of thunder again. A zap of lightning then struck near the Warp Star, startling the young Star Warrior. Two more bolts of lightning churned up in the storm cloud, keeping Kirby on his toes. After everything seemed calm high above the ground, a lightning bolt struck the Warp Star, causing the transportation vehicle to lose altitude. Crying in fear while tumbling from the sky, Kirby kept holding onto the Warp Star, eventually getting past the thundercloud. Once the pink puffball saw he was getting close to the ground, he quickly mapped it out and saw it was a barren wasteland with a few dancing colors that seemed so small Kirby could not even make them out as they quickly vanished just as fast as he discovered them. Kirby then quickly moved the Warp Star upward, making the crash-landing slow down at best. With a ram into the ground, the Warp Star quickly disintegrated into thin air, the collision course sending Kirby flying into one of the small, stony mountains. As soon as the pink puffball climbed out of the rocks that fell down on top of him after he crash-landed, Kirby looked at himself, noticing he was covered in stains of dust and dirt. The pink puffball then pulled out the photograph he still carried after all this time, looking at the friends he made ten years ago.

"…Poyo?" Kirby asked, noticing himself in the picture right next to Mario in the front. Just then, a drop of water landed on the photograph, collecting some of the ink imprinted into the photograph. A few more drops of water were landing on the photo as well, collecting a bit more of the imprinted ink. Kirby then suddenly looked up in the sky, noticing it was raining. The pink puffball then quickly inhaled the picture, instantly swallowing it before running off. Kirby was running around the barren wasteland, searching for his friends and calling out to them as the heavy shower of rain poured down on his soft, round body.

"Poyo!" Kirby yelled, running through the biome as the rain kept pouring. The pink puffball was tripping over small stones, battering and bruising his sensitive skin. Nonetheless, Kirby still kept moving forward, determined to find his friends.

"Po-yo! Poyo!" Kirby yelled again, calling out over the horizon, where there was a luscious green forest close to the barren wasteland. As the pink puffball kept calling out to his friends, the ground underneath him shifted and gave way, causing Kirby to fall down the cliffside. The young Star Warrior was being rammed into rocks, tumbling all the way down. After the fall, Kirby landed in a rather large mud puddle, covered in large scratches and cuts deep enough to cause his pink skin to bleed and get even redder. He landed next to the forest area, weakened and physically broken.

"…Poyo-poyo?" Kirby asked, the rain still pouring down upon his face. The pink puffball then suddenly felt memories return to him: remembering the adventure he went with his companions ten years ago, back when they were fighting against the Subspace Army, sharing what little knowledge they had left of each other.

Such great times.

"…Poyo-po…" Kirby whispered, his voice breaking. Tears built up in his eyes as he flopped his wounded, soaked body to the wet ground, starting to cry. The pink puffball then lifted up his head, sobbing as the rain kept pouring on top of him. The drops of water collected with the tears as they rolled down Kirby's face. Even though he was young, the pink puffball was old enough to understand the heartbreaking truth.

All of his friends were gone, and Kirby was the last fighter in existence.


	25. Pt 25: New Companions

As the rain slowly stopped throughout the night, the radiant sunlight shone down upon the pink puffball the next day. Kirby woke up to feel the light warm him up, but the light from the sun was not the same without his friends. Suddenly remembering them again, Kirby planted his face into the ground, sobbing into the shrinking puddle formed by his own tears. Just then, as Kirby was about to let another painful series of crying, he suddenly heard a voice. It was faint, but it was loud enough for Kirby to hear it as he stopped weeping. The pink puffball wiped his eyes, still strong enough to stand up straight by moving his wounded body.

Kirby slowly turned his head, wondering where that sound was coming from. It sounded like a woman singing, her voice like angels from on high. The pink puffball heard it again, noticing it was coming from deep within the forest. With whatever ounce of strength he had left, Kirby ran with his big, red feet into the luscious vegetation. The louder Kirby heard the singing, the closer he ran towards a certain direction. Eventually, the pink puffball managed to pass through a blueberry-coated bush, finding himself at a crystal-clear lake. Birds were chirping in the distance as Kirby looked around. There, sitting on a rock, the pink puffball managed to find the source of the singing: a black-haired woman with milk chocolate-colored skin bathing near the lake. The front of her naked body was hidden from Kirby's point-of-view as she scooped up a mixture of fruits and juices from a leaf a tad bigger than her hand, lathering it into her wavy locks. As the mixture was lathering into bubbles in the brown-skinned woman's hair, she was still humming with an angel's voice. Kirby, aroused by her beautiful singing, slowly crept up behind her, curious about who she is. Eventually, after Kirby got at least close enough, the woman turned her head to meet eyes with a round-shaped, pink, black-and-blue eyed puffball whose smile could warm hearts.

"Hai!" Kirby said, waving his stubby arms. With a terrified scream, the woman, her back still turned on the pink puffball, grabbed a rather large stick and whacked Kirby into a bush, not even realizing she slipped off the rock and fell into the water thanks to the force emitted from that swing. After Kirby managed to climb out of the bush, brushing off most of the sticks and twigs on him, the pink puffball suddenly noticed the stranger in the water, running to the rim of the lake in fear. As soon as Kirby saw soapy bubbles in the water, the brown-skinned woman quickly sprouted out from the water, gasping for air.

"Get away from me, you little demon!" the stranger gasped, still trying to swim as she shut her eyes, not even looking at Kirby. She then swam towards the rock she was sitting on, climbing onto it while covering herself. After wiping her eyes, she then opened them to see not a monster but instead a badly-wounded pink puffball that looks like he wouldn't even attack anyone.

"Oh my gosh," the stranger spoke, watching Kirby rub his little head with his stubby arms. "I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just mistook you for another minion invading these lands…" Kirby merely looked at her, shaking his head while smiling. The stranger then hopped back into the water, swimming to a nearby bush to get herself dried up and dressed.

"Poyo-poyo?" Kirby asked, tilting his nonexistent neck.

"Hope you can accept my apology," the stranger said, rustling the bush's branches. "These lands are crawling with monsters nowadays. I can't even have peace without one stalking me…" Once the stranger climbed out of the bush, Kirby saw she was dressed in some sort of tankini outfit made out of stitched-together leaves, both pieces of the clothing covering her breasts and hips. The brown-skinned stranger then wrung her wavy black hair, flipping it back when she was done.

"Oh, I almost forgot," the stranger replied, forgetting something. Kirby watched as she combed through the bush, searching the branches for something, and the pink puffball didn't know what.

"Found it!" the stranger sighed in relief, pulling out some sort of heirloom. It was attached to a thin, brown rope, with a purple rounded gemstone fused to golden markings that somewhat resembled the Smash Ball. Kirby noticed the strange antique charm as the stranger tied the rope around her neck, making it snug enough so it doesn't choke her.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, pointing at the thing the stranger put around her neck. The brown-skinned woman noticed where the pink puffball was pointing at.

"What? This?" the stranger asked, lifting up the charm. Kirby nodded, seeing as how this thing could be important to her.

"Oh, that," the stranger continued. "I've been carrying that thing ever since… ever since I could remember." Confused, Kirby slowly walked up to the stranger, watching as she sat down on the rock, feeling down.

"You see," the stranger told Kirby, "I have a very severe case of amnesia. I don't remember anything from my past, outside of waking up, cold and naked. This antique charm has been around my neck during that time, and for some reason, I can't part without it, even though I can take it off for personal reasons. I don't even know if I have a name…" Kirby was simply staring at her, wondering what she means if she can't remember anything, not even her name…

"Unless you have a good name to call me by, then I guess it's acceptable, as long as it defines me…" the stranger spoke. Kirby sat down a little and pondered, thinking about a good name for the black-haired, brown-skinned woman he found singing in the middle of a forest. Suddenly, he remembered Sonic talking about the Shadow Bug he found back at the Legacy, how he named it after one of his friends who was supposedly trapped as an Assist Trophy…

"Fa… fa… k… er…" Kirby stammered since he barely knew how to talk. Eventually, after a few seconds of practice, the pink puffball managed to spell it out correctly.

"Faker?" Kirby asked. The woman then sat down, thinking about the name the pink puffball called her. Then, she gave off a smile of approval, thinking that this name could be perfect.

"From now on, you get to call me Faker, okay?" the brown-skinned woman answered. Kirby then nodded, happy that he made a new friend. Kirby then took a small stick, attempting to print his name in a clear area of dirt. Kirby then finished writing his name that he managed to spell out: K-I-R-B-Y. The pink puffball first pointed at the name written in the ground and then pointed to himself so that Faker would notice.

"So your name's Kirby, right?" Faker asked. The pink puffball nodded again in response. Just then, Faker noticed how battered and broken the pink puffball looked.

"Oh my gosh," Faker gasped. "I don't know if I haven't seen before, but you are awfully hurt." Kirby looked at himself, noticing he was covered in the cuts and bruises he forgot he had.

"What happened?" Faker asked. "Did you get lost? A terrible accident?" Kirby then suddenly remembered the true reason why he was crying: because of what happened before the attack. Tears formed in the pink puffball's eyes, and he opened his mouth to drag out the photograph he kept dry inside himself with his stubby arms. Beginning to sob, Kirby handed over Faker the photograph, and the brown-skinned woman took a good look at it. Sure, some of the sides were watered out, but all of Kirby's friends ten years ago were all there.

"Is this the reason you are alone?" Faker asked, noticing Kirby whimper. Taking affection for the pink puffball, the brown-skinned woman knelt down and slowly moved closer.

"I understand," Faker answered, knowing Kirby's pain. "The reason why is because you're broken: both outside and inside. You miss your friends, like something terrible has happened to them." The pink puffball gently nodded, drops of tears rolling down his face.

"Oh, come here, you," Faker replied, holding her arms out. Kirby, sobbing dreadfully, ran into the brown-skinned woman's arms, weeping into her bosom.

"Let it all out," the brown-skinned woman spoke, her voice as sweet as a mother's, hugging Kirby. "You want to find them again. I can try helping you. You just have to believe they're alive…" Kirby then stopped crying after a while, wiping his eyes. The pink puffball nodded, getting up along with Faker.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unknown, darkened area, Galeem was watching through a magical window, watching as Kirby was being comforted by the black-haired, brown-skinned woman he decided to make friends with. With one flick of his wrists, the Seraph of Order summoned forth his new and improved Mii Fighter army, every single one of them darkened in color and standing motionless, placed on a black opal tray. Different Spirits with and without rainbow auras, each one of them blue, green, yellow, and red in color, floated towards the petrified army and possessed each Mii Fighter, breathing life into them again as they moved their limbs. The Miis slowly opened their eyes, each one revealing glowing red irises as they jumped off, kneeling before Galeem. Laughing quietly to himself, Galeem held onto Tabuu's Chains of Light, tugging as the Construct God continued to resist.

"Are you thinking about what each of the fighters said, Tabuu?" Galeem asked.

"Millions of years ago, I wanted to create a world of my own, for the Master Hand of Arcadia is nothing more than a servant," Tabuu answered. "You overthrew me before lying to me that she was alive…" The Seraph of Order slowly levitated towards Tabuu, chuckling.

"But you were merely following orders," Galeem chuckled. "Now that I have arrived, you will know who your true master is around here. Do you understand?" Tabuu slowly nodded, followed by Galeem moving back to his original position. Just then, the glowing red Spirits with rainbow auras floated in as the seraph was watching Kirby being comforted by Faker. These glowing red Spirits involved Sephiroth, Infinite, M. Bison, and Morpho Knight, as well as hundreds of thousands of brand new faces in different colors and many even lacking the rainbow aura never seen before.

"You called us here, master?" Sephiroth asked.

"I summoned you all here for one simple task, and that task is bringing the warrior that summons my downfall to me, dead or alive," Galeem answered.

"We're rooting for you, boss," one of the Spirits spoke. "Now tell us: who's the little guy we get to take care off?"

"Look behind you," Galeem answered. The glowing red Spirits with rainbow auras looked behind themselves, seeing a brown-skinned woman comforting a pink puffball through the magical window.

"The one the woman's comforting is one of the fighters that has passed the Arcadian Master Core's test, going by the name of Kirby," Galeem continued.

"Who?" another Spirit spoke. "That pink puffball? Ha! He could barely even harm a fly!"

"But that pink puffball was the only one out of all his friends to escape my clutches," Galeem spoke. "Thanks to his beliefs that his friends are still out there, he'll regain confidence thanks to that woman he found, rescue his companions, and stop my reign. You are the only servants I can count on to put an end to this." Galeem then flicked his wrists again, and Dracula and a Rathalos walked into the room.

"The only reason why these two weren't transformed into Spirits was that I saw them fit bosses if my slaves fail me," Galeem answered. "For a few things to spice up this battle, I'm sending the only warriors that will be joining the Subspace Army again after a short time." With a snap of his glowing white fingers, a robed man walked into the room. He was coated in peacock feathers and the textures of his robes reflected the design, and the left half of his pale blue face was coated in gold. Alongside the elegant figure, Rayquaza, Rathalos, and Galleon, as well as the Werewolf and King Bulbin, all arrived in the room, fully remade and surrounded by an army of Master Hands floating in the air.

"Should I send in the fighters?" the robed stranger asked, towering with barely enough height to rival Dracula's.

"Of course, Balder," Galeem answered. With the bosses of the Subspace Army dragging forth a huge tray, the Mii Fighter army stood back as they looked at all of the trophies of the fighters. Each one of them looked like they were asleep, but their petrified forms were standing upright, fused to their separate trophy bases and golden rope wrapping around their bodies.

"The Supporters are to be born to follow the Primaries, just like they had always been," Galeem spoke. A swarm of Buckots flew into the air, each one of them not carrying red-hot melted iron but a golden liquid as smooth as honey. The Buckots then poured the golden liquid onto the warrior statues, drizzling them until a gray-colored warrior appeared under them. Once the replicas fell to the ground from the floating trophies, the Buckots created at least seven more for each fighter. After all eight for each fighter was gathered and aligned, rainbow-glowing Spirits all but the red color infused their powers with the False Warriors, giving birth to new life as the replicas opened their eyes to reveal glowing red irises. Each one of the rainbow-aura red Spirits, including Sephiroth, Morpho Knight, M. Bison, and Infinite, then floated to the frozen fighter that they enjoy the best, flying into the stone warriors on the trophy bases.

"Spirits, return to your vessels," the Seraph of Order spoke. A wave of his wrists summoned all of the Smash Balls he gathered from the fighters. A soft blow into each one of the Smash Balls caused them to float to their chosen warriors, infusing with the Spirits within and granting them a body of their own. The Galeem Lock flashed around each fighter's body, the form revealing to be the six wings the Seraph of Order held over his back. Once the ritual was over, the fighters started moving again, their stone shells crumbing off to reveal all of the legendary Arcadian warriors again. However, once they opened their eyes, their irises showed the gleaming red their Supporters bore.

"Thanks to the Galeem Lock, the Spirits with the help of the Smash Balls will now have a much easier chance of taking down Kirby and the Forgotten Resistance," Galeem spoke. Each one of the warriors jumped down from the floating trophy bases, the Spirits possessing the fighters' bodies looking at themselves in awe. Outside of the glowing red irises, it seemed like there really was not much of a difference for each of the warriors.

"The hidden abilities the Primaries still have are located within the Spirit," Galeem continued, the Mii Fighter army walking away from the dark area. "You will all find them in time. Until then, search the land. Separate if you have to. All that matters is that you bring the pink puffball to me so the world of Gallia can be complete." As the Mii Fighter army, darkened and possessed, walked out of the dark area, the Seraph of Order laughed in victory as his own troops from the World of Trophies assembled right before him, the Primaries each with eight of their Supporters. Tabuu, still cuffed and shackled, looked away in shame as he knew the course of action he had taken. Not just himself, but his entire Subspace Army in general, had fallen under the hands of this monster.

* * *

Somewhere, in the land of Gallia, Kirby was guiding his new friend Faker out of the forest she was located into a nice, green pasture. Holding the brown-skinned woman's hand in his stubby pink one, the pink puffball looked around, amazed by the new world he and Faker had set foot in. Kirby slowly felt his red, simplified feet sink into the soft grass, looking at the clear blue skies dotted with wave-like clouds. The landscape was humongous too, revealing plains, forests, deserts, islands, volcanic ground, icy wastelands, and futuristic ruins as far as the eye could see. Kirby sighed in grief. How was he going to find all of his friends on this huge planet? Faker then patted the pink puffball's back, knowing it was going to be okay.

"We'll find them," Faker said, looking down on Kirby. "I'm sure we'll find them all. We just have to be patient. That's all we really need…" Suddenly, Kirby heard some rustling in a nearby shrub. The pink puffball looked to his left, noticing that it had just moved. Driven nuts over curiosity, Kirby ran over to the shrub, leaving a confused, black-haired and brown-skinned woman.

"Kirby?" Faker asked. "Where are you going?" The brown-skinned woman followed Kirby into the shrub, watching as he continued deeper into what appeared to be a wild garden. She saw that the pink puffball was attempting to search through the shrub but could not find anything but a spiked ball. Faker noticed that Kirby ran off deeper into the flowery area. Afterward, the two of them had stumbled upon an abandoned greenhouse. The glass roof was dirtied and broken, allowing vines of flowers to climb out like it was a jungle. Flower pots and gardening tools still stood around, untouched by the sands of time as dust collected on them.

"Maybe this was some sort of mistake," Faker asked Kirby, who was still looking around for the noise he had heard. "We should probably go back the way we came…" The pink puffball then suddenly heard another noise, this time coming from within the greenhouse. Pulling out a flaming hammer, Kirby swung the weapon at the locked door, bursting it open from the outside. Once Kirby put away his hammer, he hopped in, seeing what secrets the old building had to offer. After he and Faker slowly walked in, Kirby suddenly noticed lying on top of the greenhouse's rubble was a plant. However, it was not just any plant, as it had a rounded, red-skinned head with white spots, only having a large, pointed mouth with white lips on its front. Its body was a long, green stem, with two stubby roots at the end which supposedly served as feet. Battered and bruised, the plant-like creature lay on top of the debris, growling in pain. Kirby managed to carry the plant by the stem, with Faker stepping outside so that the pink puffball could nurse it back to health.

"Poyo-poyo-po," Kirby said, searching through the gardening tools for something to help the poor creature. The pink puffball managed to pull out a brown flower pot, filling it near the brim with fertilized dirt. Faker then pulled out a hand shovel, digging a little hole in the center. Kirby carried the plant-like creature to the flower pot, helping Faker place its stubby roots in. Once the two of them managed to cover up the plant's bottom, the brown-skinned woman got ahold of a watering can, pushing a pump's handle. Even though the pump was rusted, it still managed to spurt out clean and clear water. After Faker filled the watering can at a certain point, she stopped pumping, with Kirby helping her carry the tool to the wounded plant. After a few seconds of pouring water into the flower pot just right so the dirt was nice and moist, the plant-like creature quickly sprung to life, shrugging off its wounds and sprouting two large leaves at the area of its body closest outside of the flower pot.

The creature began snapping and growling, causing both Kirby and Faker to jump a bit. Its two stubby roots had their tips sticking out from beneath the flower pot, helping the plant to stand up. However, since it was still quickly healing itself, he could only snap at them with its jagged white teeth.

"Geez, that thing is feisty," Faker stammered. "That plant's merely just… biting at us like a piranha. Don't you think so, Kirby?" However, Kirby slowly walked over to the plant-like creature, curious at the thing. The thing snapped and snarled, shrugging off more of its wounds, as Kirby carefully approached the plant-like creature. The pink puffball then slowly placed his stubby hands on the plant-like creature's forehead, trying to calm the carnivorous flower down.

"Poyo-poyo-poyo-poyo, Pi… piranh… ha… Pl… ant?" Kirby stammered, staying self-confident as he kept holding his stubby arms to calm the vicious plant down. The creature was beginning to shake its head, but the pink puffball tried taming it as Faker simply stood back and watched, amazed by how Kirby was handling the new creature they both discovered and saved. Kirby then carefully lifted up the flower pot the carnivorous plant was settling in, showing it to Faker.

"Seems like you made a new friend," Faker said with coincidence. "What do you think you're going to name him?"

"Piranha Plant," Kirby cooed, with the plant-like creature jumping out of the pink puffball's stubby arms with his two leaves. The carnivorous flower snapped and growled at Kirby's answer for a name, nodding for a fact that he seemed to like it.

"You wanna call him Piranha Plant?" Faker asked. "I honestly don't see anything wrong with that…" Piranha Plant then growled friendly, knowing not only was it defined as a "him", but he was also given a name for the first time. Just then, the Piranha Plant suddenly perked its head, twisting towards a direction he heard. The carnivorous flower started growling and biting at said direction, and both Kirby and Faker noticed where he was looking at. The Piranha Plant then started moving with its two stubby roots hiding underneath the flower pot, walking past the abandoned greenhouse into the darker side of the area. After Kirby and Faker stopped following the Piranha Plant, the trio discovered they were somewhere in the wild garden where the flowers looked much darker in color and the sun did not shine as much. That was when the brown-skinned woman and the pink puffball found the carnivorous plant lurching down, snarling at something. Kirby moved the Piranha Plant aside by pushing his flower pot, eager to see what is it that ticked the plant-like creature. There, on the ground, without any sudden notice, was merely a small flower with a face. He had a green stem with yellow petals, and he had one of the most adorable smiles you could find.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked the Piranha Plant. While the carnivorous plant was snapping and growling, Faker grabbed the two fighters and pulled them close to her. The yellow-petaled flower just stood there, acting merely harmless.

"Oh, hi," the flower spoke with a rather high-pitched voice. Both Kirby and Piranha Plant both walked away from the brown-skinned woman, alarmed by this talking plant.

"My name's Flowey," the small flower said as he introduced himself. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing here. Well, you seem curious about where you're at."

"We're talking to a flower," Faker whispered to herself. "Either we must be on the wrong side of the planet or I'm completely numb."

"Rules can change here in the newfound planet of Gallia, the World of Spirits," Flowey spoke. "Only a select few are assigned to keep their bodies once Lord Galeem says so." Kirby rubbed his cuddly pink face, confused by all this, since Flowey didn't really have a glowing, semi-transparent body. Piranha Plant, on the other hand, merely barred his jagged teeth, growling.

"What's this guy's problem?" Flowey asked, turning his attention towards the plant-like fighter. Faker then grabbed Piranha Plant's flower pot, trying to calm the carnivorous flower down.

"It looks like he doesn't trust you," the brown-skinned warrior answered for the Piranha Plant. "The rest of us are not really sure, since you don't look all that harmless…"

"I completely understand," Flowey spoke, Kirby speculating the strange talking flower.

"You see," Flowey continued, "I get so lonely sometimes, since I'm rooted to the ground and never really go anywhere. So barely anyone visits me. I just like to answer a simple question: would you like to be my friend?" Kirby kept looking at the small flower, pondering with an answer as he scratched his head. He then looked at the snarling Piranha Plant in Faker's arms, confused.

"I don't know if we should really trust you," Faker answered. "Besides, we just met, we don't know anything about you, and already Piranha Plant is snarling with no reason. I get it that he probably can't talk…"

"Come on!" Flowey objected. "I've been so lonely ever since I was just a seed. The least you could do is accept me into your little group…" Kirby then looked at the Piranha Plant, who was still snarling and biting, trying to squirm out of Faker's arms. The pink puffball then instantly remembered the reason why he and the brown-skinned woman found the carnivorous flower in the first place. The fact that the Piranha Plant was wounded answered everything: this area was a trap. Kirby, terror on his face, stammered and turned his head towards Faker and the Piranha Plant. Terrified, Kirby ran towards the brown-skinned woman and grabbed her hand, making her drop the carnivorous plant as it quickly sprung up again. The pink puffball, with all the strength that remained from those terrible wounds, attempted to drag Faker out of here.

"What is your problem, Kirby?" Faker asked, the Piranha Plant running towards the pink puffball. When Flowey heard the brown-skinned woman call the fighter Kirby, his lips curled into a deviating smile, knowing something the other three didn't. Once Faker turned her head towards Flowey, the small flower then put on his usual smile again, pretending like nothing happened.

"Excuse us for a brief moment," Faker chuckled, watching as both the Piranha Plant and Kirby were dragging the brown-skinned woman by the arms away from Flowey back to the abandoned greenhouse.

"Hey!" Flowey called out. "Where you going? Don't leave me all alone!" When the trio were just reaching to the nearest shrub in the lighter side of the garden, a thorny vine instantly stuck out from the ground, slashing. Faker was scared out of her wits, holding onto the heirloom around her neck, while both Kirby and Piranha Plant turned around to see Flowey again. He was looking down on the mossy forest floor, a demon's smile on his face.

"You… don't want to be my friend…?" Flowey asked, this time in a raspy voice. Both the two fighters and Faker were trembling at the small yet dangerous-looking flower, his yellow, rounded petals suddenly shifting into a sharpened form. Flowey's roots then forced themselves out of the ground, allowing the small flower to crawl towards the tiny group of adventurers. Black, void-like eyes shined through Flowey's face as thorns and smaller flowers instantly popped out on his stem. The demonic flower was then growing larger in size, eventually becoming so tall that he was literally towering over them.

"Not that it really matter with your decision," Flowey continued, with Faker trembling and both Kirby and Piranha Plant looking at the monster, ready to attack.

"I also forgot to tell you: I was assigned by Lord Galeem to look for a certain pink puffball named Kirby, one of which was looking for his friends to bring them back and overthrow our Gallian leader," Flowey continued in that raspy voice of his. "Which is why I ask you again: will you be my friend?"

"Attempt to take this poor creature against my will?" Faker objected, holding on tight to Kirby. "Use him so that your lord and his followers can dominate this planet? No! We will never be your friends!"

"Are you sure…?" Flowey asked, tilting his head. "You know you are rejecting me, and you know how much I hunger for rejection. You can say it feeds me, gives me strength..." With a laughter that can scare even the most terrifying of monsters out of Tartarus, Flowey, with a deep breath, blew a swarm of white pellets around the adventurers, surrounding them with nowhere to go, not even above is safe. Faker, Piranha Plant, and Kirby were trapped.

"DIE…" Flowey growled, causing the pellets to close in on the trio. Just when it was all over for them, a blast of aqua-colored lightning surrounded the pellets and instantly disintegrated them with a small explosion. Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker then looked around, noticing there was something that disrupted Flowey's attack.

"What!?" Flowey snarled. Just before he was about to react, a white-coated wolf with flaming markings on her coat jumped in, biting through the tough skin in Flowey's stem. Just when the demonic flower tried shaking the white wolf off, she then hopped alongside the three adventurers, pulling out a strange, mystical paintbrush from her back, which was protected by some sort of stone plate with ancient markings. Jumping high into the air, the white-coated wolf with flame markings painted a horizontal line in mid-air, which instantly attacked Flowey with a mighty slash. As soon as the demonic flower stumbled back upon himself, some sort of wise magician walked up next to the white-coated wolf. This strange being resembled a lot like a Mii, with the long, gray hair, green eyes, gray glasses and all, resembling an elderly person. Her hooded robe was thick and white, fading into blue and/or turquoise on the ends of her arms, legs, and hood's inside. She was carrying a jeweled staff coated in silver, spreading her arms out with an angry expression on her face and generating aqua-colored lightning, standing half as tall as Faker.

"You leave these travelers alone!" the sage spoke, with the white-coated wolf growling alongside her and wielding the paintbrush she used to attack Flowey. Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker were shocked by what just happened, and they simply stood back and watched a robed sage teaming up with a white-coated wolf with mystical, godlike powers, the both of them fighting against a demonic flower.

"Hmph," Flowey growled, looking at Kirby with soulless eyes. "You may have one this round, kid, but I'll be back, and it ain't gonna be pretty!" Burying back into the ground, Flowey vanished from the area, and the adventuring trio were surprised by what happened. Both the wolf and the sage turned towards Piranha Plant, Faker, and Kirby, recognizing who they saved.

"You… you helped us," Faker stammered. "Who even are you two?"

"Where are my manners?" the sage answered. "I go by a lot of names, but you can simply call me the Great Sage. The wolf by my side is Amaterasu, reincarnation of the mythical goddess of the sun on her planet." The white-coated wolf stretched in a downward arch, her flame-like markings flowing across her fur, yawning after that intense battle with Flowey.

"So you must be the pink puffball all of Gallia is searching for at this point," the Great Sage spoke, pointing her staff at Kirby. "You have to be careful next time, for there are many traps set across the planet, ready to capture you when you least expect it…" Faker then suddenly noticed both the Great Sage and Amaterasu were semi-transparent and lacking the rainbow aura, but they were still Spirits, nonetheless. The Great Sage was green all over, and Amaterasu was a bright yellow.

"You're both… Spirits?" Faker asked.

"Of course we are," the Great Sage answered, stroking the white-coated wolf's mane. "However, we are completely different as we are just plain Spirits. Even though we can pass through solid objects, we can also interact with this world at will. We also noticed the main reason why that Piranha Plant was wounded was because of the one who introduces himself as Flowey." The Great Sage then suddenly noticed the sky growing darker, watching as a black-red storm-cloud formed in the sky.

"Come on," the Great Sage said, grabbing Kirby by her left arm. "There's no time to explain everything. We have to head back to our base when the Shadow Bugs rain from above." Amaterasu used her muzzle to bite and hold onto Piranha Plant's flower pot, carrying the fighter towards the Great Sage, who was running towards a different direction from the abandoned greenhouse. Faker then suddenly noticed the Shadow Bugs raining from up above, running towards the two fighters and Spirits.

"Wait up for me!" the black-haired, brown-skinned woman called out, adjusting her takini uniform and tightening up the charm around her neck a bit as she ran back to the group.


	26. Pt 26: The Undying Light

After minutes of walking up a mountain, trying to take shelter from the Shadow Bug storm, Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker followed the Great Sage and Amaterasu to what appeared to be a small sky pirate ship, linked to land by a wooden bridge. Lanterns filled with fireflies were stringed alongside its rusty hull, and its air-powered engine in the back of the ship was producing a bit of smoke but still functioning fine. A glowing blue, semi-transparent, half-sized Spirit was hovering in the air thanks to a rather large balloon tied to his back. Once he put away the binoculars he was carrying, noticing the two Spirits returning with survivors, he popped the balloon on his back, sticking a rather nice landing on the deck despite having fallen from a pretty tall height.

"Kooloo-limpah!" the Spirit asked Amaterasu and the Great Sage. "Who dares pass through the borders of the Forgotten Resistance!?"

"It's us, Tingle," the Great Sage sighed, keeping Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker close to herself.

"Prove it, intruders!" Tingle yelled. "What's the secret password?"

"We had no secret password ever since we found this ship," the Great Sage replied. "You should have remembered it, unless you're an idiot…"

"Oh!" Tingle replied with a joyous expression. "I guess I kinda forgot. Please, do come on board. We were just departing." The five travelers then walked across the wooden bridge onto the deck just in time, for the ship slowly pulled up the wooden bridge and lifted off into the air, away from the mountain and the black-red storm cloud.

After what felt like a minute, the rusted ship was outside of the Shadow Bug storm in no time, floating high above the land while underneath the clouds and the afternoon sun. While on the deck, Faker noticed both Kirby and the Piranha Plant run to the sides of the ship, amazed by how big the World of Spirits truly was. The brown-skinned woman then walked next to the two fighters, looking at the view from up above.

"Wow," she said with a breathtaking voice. "I've never been up this high, and already I'm terrified of this height…" The Great Sage then waved her hand, getting the attention of Piranha Plant, Kirby, and Faker.

"Now, if you want to take a tour around the Undying Light, feel free to do so," the Great Sage told the trio, with Amaterasu nuzzling her face into the Mii mage's robe.

"I can be your guide around here," Tingle spoke up, hopping up and down. "I can give you a little advice on what's what and who's who." Later on, the three adventurers were following Tingle through the ship. Just then, a semi-transparent, glowing-blue Mabu pilot named Flynn arrived on the scene.

"Hiya, Tingle," Flynn spoke. "Mind if I take over for a while and join in with the others to help fix us dinner? I've been driving this thing and I haven't eaten in hours."

"Can do," Tingle answered, saluting the tall Mabu pilot. Tingle then ran off, leaving Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker with Flynn.

"Afternoon, new recruits," Flynn spoke. "My name is Flynn, and I'll be your substitute tour guide around the Undying Light." The Mabu pilot then walked off, with Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker walking with him.

"As you can see here," Flynn continued, walking through the power rooms where everyone was fixing and cleaning, "this ship may not look like much, but we love calling it a home. We've got all sorts of Spirit friends for you to make, like Professor E. Gadd, working on the boilers…"

"How are you doing?" E. Gadd spoke, wiping the ashes off his glowing-blue elderly face.

"We've got Sticks the Jungle Badger…" Flynn continued, pointing at a glowing-green, anamorphic, brown-coated badger that looked like she was a friend of Sonic's, searching for wrenches and bolts in a rather large toolbox.

"What's good!" Sticks cheered, waving her hand as she continued searching through the tools.

"We've also got a few several others, waiting to meet you on the ship," Flynn continued, Faker amazed by the small crew while Piranha Plant and Kirby looked around.

"Flynn!" a British voice spoke out from the only hole up to the cock pit. Jumping down without using the ladder was a semi-transparent, glowing-red woman, a purple wig on top of her head and an electric guitar behind her back.

"Enough with the lollygagging and get back to swabbing the deck," the woman spoke with a rather strong accent, tossing the Mabu pilot a mop and soapy water-filled bucket. "We've got to make this ship presentable for our guests, since they'll be staying for a while…"

"Aye-aye, Captain Barbara!" Flynn spoke, saluting her. After the Mabu pilot ran off, the three adventurers looked at the glowing-red Spirit, though she wasn't surrounded in that rainbow aura like all the others.

"Sorry for intrusions," Barbara spoke. "My name is Barbara the Bat, and I suppose Flynn showed you around parts of the ship?"

"We were just getting acquainted," Faker answered. "After all, the Great Sage and Amaterasu helped bring us on board…"

"Truly a woman like you is too revealing, especially with that… thing… on," Barbara objected, noticing the clothing Faker was wearing. "Jill!" A small, glowing-green, pink-haired girl climbed down the ladder to the cock pit, ready to accept orders from the guitarist.

"Take the black-haired stranger to the room where she'll be staying in," Barbara told Jill. "Afterwards, get her a presentable uniform and some hot food…" The glowing-green Spirit nodded her head, walking with Faker to the brown-skinned woman's room.

"Be careful, Kirby!" Faker called out to the pink puffball. Afterwards, both Kirby and Piranha Plant turned their attention towards Barbara, ready to learn more about the ship they're on.

"Anyway, I suppose I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew," Barbara spoke as both the Spirit and the two fighters walked around the ship.

"I'm sure you've been acquainted with people like Tingle and E. Gadd," Barbara spoke, followed by Piranha Plant and Kirby nodding.

"The rest of the gang shows us with common Spirits like Saki Amamiya, the Excitebikes, Kat & Ana, Mr. Resetti, Ray MK III, Magnus, Infantry & Tanks, Elec Man, Kururin of his own vehicle Helirin, and Lakitu with his Spines," Barbara continued. "This airship may not look like it, but it's fitting all of these members in here, with us Assist Trophies as commanders, as well as a few select others…" Kirby and Piranha Plant each rubbed their heads, confused when Barbara introduced herself and most of the Undying Light's crew as "Assist Trophies".

"I suppose I should explain all this," Barbara continued. "You see, back during the accident at the Yggdrasil, all of our prisons have been broken, giving us a chance to escape. However, unlike few of our friends, none of us had the chance for another fighter to hold up our trophy bases, so all that remained were our, well, Spirits. When Galeem arrived on the scene, he took control of us, forcing us to do his bidding. Some of us escaped and formed the Forgotten Resistance, but the rest were not so lucky, including all of those summoning Pokémon…" Kirby shook his head, suddenly realizing that so much has changed around here.

"Well, as you can obviously see," Barbara continued, "we are just normal Spirits. In this world, there are four classes of Spirits each person is ranked to, according to Galeem's rule – Novice, the blue-colored, Advanced, the green-colored, Ace, the yellow-colored, and Legendary, the red-colored. Each four of these classes is ranked from weakest to strongest, and what defines them is whatever powers they grant. However, Spirits are also split into two categories: Normal and Master. The Normal Spirits, as you can see, physically interact with the world around them, and can even pass through solid objects at will, even if they are lacking a body to complete them. The Master Spirits, on the other hand, are identified with the rainbow auras around them. They are basically the same as the Normal Spirits, but they can only interact with the world around them through possessing a vessel. Some of the citizens of this world have reported to seeing Master Spirits take full control over different living things, though we have only been able to find out so much about the Novice, Advanced, and Ace Master Spirits. The more powerful a vessel, the higher chance a better-ranked Master Spirit has of possessing said vessel. The Normal Spirits can combine powers with the Master Spirits, granting the living vessel bonus items and immunities. However, we don't know anything about the Legendary Master Spirits, outside of the fact that they simply… exist, even though we don't know who or what they're possessing, but that's all we know for now..."

The dinner bell suddenly rang, and all the Spirits gathered around with the only two fighters on the resistance. Tonight's special was thankfully a bowl of Superspicy Curry, which was also Kirby's favorite outside of the Maxim Tomatoes, and Tingle was serving it up. As the Spirits were dining on the delicious food, with the Helirin pilot, Kururin, outside of his vehicle, the Piranha Plant was also enjoying the meal, lapping it up and spilling some of the hot dinner on himself. While the Spirits were laughing with the Piranha Plant making a mess out of himself, Kirby simply sat there, depressed, not even touching his food. Sticks noticed the pink puffball wasn't eating and noticed that she could try helping cheer up the fighter.

"Aw, come on, you little goofus!" Sticks said with a cheery voice, pinching Kirby's red cheeks. "What's getting you down?" The other Spirits noticed Kirby was sad, with the Piranha Plant even attempting to find out what's going on.

"You think the little guy is alright?" Flynn asked.

"It's probably his first time here," Barbara answered. "He must be homesick."

"Highly doubt it," the Great Sage objected. "The Piranha Plant sure is having a good time hanging out with us."

"Then it must be because of the little guy getting lost," E. Gadd spoke.

"Think that kid was kicked out of whatever club he belonged in," Mr. Resetti answered.

"Maybe it's the fact that no other place was good enough for him," Magnus guessed.

"Or a terrifying monster came out of nowhere and attacked him," Kat answered.

"It could be," Ana agreed. "My twin sis and I can obviously tell by the wounds Kirby is sporting…"

"Or maybe it's because of the fact that this little pink puffball here was the only one to escape from a dreaded event that involved his friends going mysteriously missing or even killed, making him all alone in this big, empty world?" Sticks asked. The other Spirits were shocked by the final answer the jungle badger came up with, especially Kirby and the Piranha Plant. Tears then swelled up in the pink puffball's eyes as soon as he suddenly remembered what happened to his friends. Sobbing over the fact that he's all alone, Kirby placed his stubby arms over his eyes, jumping off his seat and running out of the dining room. Faker, who was walking in just in time, felt a crying Kirby run past her as she went to meet with the other Spirits.

"What's wrong with him?" Faker asked, the black-haired, brown-skinned woman fully dressed in war clothing. Her uniform looked like it was made out of an opal dragon's hide, with her cape shaped out of the reptilian wings. Her boots and gloves resembled the claws, and she was sporting the horns attached to her head. On the side of her waist, a long sword shaped out of a dragon's tooth hung by her side, and she was still wearing the charm she had before.

"Kid's crying after Sticks guessed what happened," Barbara explained.

"What?" Sticks asked. "It was a lucky shot… wasn't it?" Faker then sighed, sitting down in Kirby's seat. She then pulled out the photograph Kirby had with him, sliding it to the middle of the table.

"This is the main reason why he's on the ship," Faker replied. The Spirits looked over the table, noticing the picture was taken ten years ago thanks to the fact that the permanent marker reading "Smash Bros. 2008" was printed clearly on the paper. The picture showed off most of Kirby's friends during that time, and the Undying Light's crew understood what was going on.

"It just isn't the same without his friends," Faker continued. "He misses them so much that I even see him cry over them…" The Spirits then looked at each other, wondering what they could do to cheer up Kirby.

"It's settled," Professor E. Gadd finally spoke up. "First thing tomorrow morning, we'll be preparing the new members of the ship with the best equipment we could come up with, dropping off Kirby and his companions onto the land of Gallia, assisting them once they're ready."

"I agree," Barbara spoke. "Let's get started, asap." Agreeing in unison, the Spirits were shaking hands with each other, along with Faker taking the photograph with her outside of the room. Meanwhile, the Piranha Plant noticed the brown-skinned woman walking off to her assigned bed, thinking about the pain Kirby was going through. Amaterasu, who was laying down on the floor this whole time, gnawing on some fresh elk meat, looked at the carnivorous flower. Shaking her head, the white wolf then pointed her muzzle at the door, signifying the Piranha Plant to follow Faker. Walking out as soon as the Spirits left the dining room, the fighter walked out with Amaterasu, traveling through the steel halls in the cold of the night.

As time had passed, Faker was asleep in her room, the dragon armor off her as she was only shown in a white tank top and shorts. While the brown-skinned woman was dozing off heavily, she was suddenly hearing voices as her charm suddenly started glowing with rainbows.

"This is terrible," one voice spoke. "The fact that we're forever cursed to roam this multiverse in exile while Galeem's men do terrible, unspeakable things to our bodies is killing me."

"I agree with you right there," another voice spoke. "Hopefully Kirby knows what to do in time."

"Speaking of the pink puffball, I may not be the only one who believes he's going to bring us back," a third voice replied. "I know it. We just have to buy him time. That's all we really need..." Faker then slowly woke up to those sounds, wondering who's in the room with her. As soon as she turned her head to the left side of her body, she silently gasped in horror as she saw the friends Kirby was referring to: Mario, Link, Fox, Marth, Sonic, Cloud, every fighter that was with Kirby at one point. All of these memorable characters have become Fighter Spirits: semi-transparent warriors that have kept their original form and color but are surrounded by a rainbow aura. As Faker looked at Kirby's previous friends, she noticed they were levitating a few inches off the wooden floor, talking to each other.

"I can't live like this anymore!" Zelda cried. "We can't do anything to stop this monster! Every minute that passes by feels cold… and dead…"

"Dead!?" Luigi exclaimed, terrified. "Dead!? I don't wanna die! I never wanted to die!" The Fighter Spirit then hugged Link, sobbing dreadfully into the Hylian's blue tunic.

"If there's anyone to blame for our downfall, it's me," Sonic sighed, rubbing his head. "I should've been the one to get away and attempt to save you guys. Instead, I let a young fighter, who's still acting like a baby, force him to save all of us." Meta Knight then patted the blue hedgehog's back, comforting Sonic.

"Your kindness still shines through, making you sacrifice yourself for Kirby," Meta Knight objected. "You made the right choice…"

"Like I told everyone," Mario said to the Fighter Spirits, "we all have to stay together. We've got to help Kirby keep pushing forward."

"Hey!" Cloud Strife spoke out, noticing a trembling Faker sitting on the bed. "Someone's in this room, and she can see us."

"See us?" Link asked, pushing away Luigi for a brief moment. "Nobody can see us, not even the Spirits themselves. That's impossible… for anyone…" The Fighter Spirits were shocked as they saw Faker noticing them, the charm around her neck gleaming bright in rainbow colors.

 _I can see them,_ Faker thought to herself. _Are they ghosts or something? No… It can't be… Surely Spirits like that don't just appear out of nowhere… do they?_ Just then, Mario's Fighter Spirit floated towards the brown-skinned woman, attempting to greet himself and the rest of his friends.

"How do you do?" Mario introduced. "I'm…" However, before the red plumber could finish, Faker just simply fainted on the bed, terrified. The charm around her neck reverted back to its usual dark purple color, and Mario's Fighter Spirit floated away once her world went dark.

"Nice job, dick-face," Zero Suit Samus sarcastically said, her arms placed on her hips.

"I swear this isn't my fault," Mario objected, floating back to the rest of the gang. "No one else can see us, so the best we can do is convince her that we're not just figments of her imagination."

"And help her encourage Kirby to get us back and prepare for the true final battle?" Ryu asked.

"Precisely," Mario answered. "The best we could do until then is wait… and hope." Once the Fighter Spirits vanished, all that remained on the only bed in the room was an unconscious, brown-skinned woman, not aware of the charm twinkling with tiny rainbow stars on her neck.


	27. Pt 27: A Greater Adventure Begins

Once an hour or two had passed, the Piranha Plant walked into Faker's room. There, he saw the brown-skinned woman passed out on her bed. Amaterasu then pointed her muzzle at Faker, encouraging the carnivorous flower. The Piranha Plant shook Faker's body, instantly waking her up.

"Wha… what happened? Was I dreaming?" Faker asked herself, sitting up on the bed. She saw Piranha Plant next to her side, with the Spirit of Amaterasu at the door frame. The Piranha Plant then took hold of Faker's hand with his two leaves, trying to get her off the bed.

"Okay, okay," Faker replied, sitting on the side of her bed while putting on two white bunny slippers. "I'm coming, but only because you said so…" After Faker stood up, the Piranha Plant walked with her and Amaterasu up the ship to another room.

Once Faker was about to knock on the door, she looked down on the Piranha Plant, with the carnivorous flower nodding. As soon as she looked back, the photograph in her hand, Faker knocked on the door.

"Kirby?" Faker asked, knowing the pink puffball was assigned here. "It's me, Faker." However, the door would not open as she heard sobbing from behind the steel door. The Piranha Plant then pushed open the door for the brown-skinned woman. There, in the dim light of an oil lamp on a small table, in a series of beds laid next to each other, Faker saw Kirby in his chosen bed, crying into a pillow.

"Kirby?" Faker asked, her golden eyes twinkling as she approached the pink puffball. When Kirby heard her, he lifted his head, revealing a large puddle of tears stained on the pillow's fabric. Piranha Plant merely watched from a good distance, trying to understand what it is the pink puffball was forced to go through.

"This is about your friends, isn't it?" Faker continued. "Whatever it is, you can tell me…" Kirby then slowly reached out to the oil lamp, twisting the handle so it began glowing brighter. After setting the oil lamp back on its desk, Faker and the Piranha Plant looked on the empty wall to be shown Kirby and all of his friends, all drawn from crayons and paper cut-outs. They were posing in their battle forms, all of them laid out on a futuristic platform. Even though Kirby's artwork was mainly crayon scribbles on sheets of paper, this was the first time the pink puffball drew something as beautiful, especially on the walls. Inspired, the Piranha Plant took out whatever paper and crayons were left laying on the floor, alongside some tape and scissors, drawing and coloring away.

"Did you… draw all this?" Faker asked, amazed. In tears, Kirby slowly nodded, wiping his cuddly face with his stubby arms.

"This is amazing," Faker replied, her golden eyes filled with wonder. Shortly after, Kirby began crying again, sobbing into the brown-skinned woman's lap.

"Shh… it's okay," Faker hushed the pink puffball. "Don't cry…" Kirby stopped crying after a while to understand what the brown-skinned woman was trying to say.

"If you can draw this beautiful poster covering the wall, with everyone back together at last, you can save your friends," Faker continued. Sobbing a bit louder, Kirby continued crying, drops of tears flowing down his face. Faker then kept rubbing the pink puffball's back, feeling the wounds and dirt stains Kirby had before.

"It's alright," Faker hushed, calming Kirby down. "While we wash you up and patch you, do you want to hear a song?" The pink puffball then looked up, hiccupping as he looked at the brown-skinned woman with watery eyes.

"It's the song that I was singing back at the lake. I call it… _Lifelight_ ," Faker continued. "Even though it was merely just humming, I've managed to learn the lyrics by heart, even though I can't remember how. Would you like to hear it?" Kirby gently nodded, hugging Faker tight as she carried him off the bed. The song that Faker was singing to Kirby, the lyrics went a little something like this:

 _Colors weave into a spire of flame_

 _Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

 _Bear this torch against the cold of the night_

 _Search your soul and reawaken the undying light_

When Faker set Kirby down, the brown-skinned woman took out some heated rocks lying on a dimming fire with pliers, carefully dropping them into a wooden tub. She then took Kirby, gently placing him in the tub while still singing.

 _On that day, when the sky fell away_

 _Our world came to an end_

 _In our eyes did a fading sun rise_

 _In the dark glimmering shadows_

 _Silence grows, in the spaces between_

 _Stretching out beyond time_

 _Rising up, as a chorus of souls finds a voice_

 _Flickering through the void_

While Faker was still singing, she took out a special mixture, scrubbing Kirby's wet body. As the mixture was lathering, the dirty stains on the pink puffball washed off. The warm, soapy water was starting to sting Kirby's wounds, but he withstood the pain as he kept listening to Faker's heavenly song.

 _These little sparks cling on to life_

 _Everyone caught in the struggle_

 _And then the storms of change, they fan the flames_

 _Scattering ashes to the wind_

Once all of the stains were washed off Kirby, Faker then took the pink puffball out of the tub, taking a soft towel and rubbing his cuddly skin dry while she kept singing.

 _Every soul contains a whisper of light_

 _Gleaming faintly as it dwindles from sight_

 _No escape, no greater fate to be made_

 _In the end, the chains of time will not break_

 _Colors weave into a spire of flame_

 _Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

 _Bear this torch against the cold of the night_

 _Search your soul and reawaken the undying light_

Once Kirby was perfectly dry, Faker set up the pink puffball on a stool, uncovering the deep gashes that looked so nasty not even bandages would fix it. The brown-skinned woman then took out a sewing needle and transparent thread, holding Kirby in place.

 _As fate spins a thread without end_

 _New life draws its first breath_

 _Blossoming in a soil reclaimed from the past_

 _Where destiny holds fast_

 _Here where we stand, hand clenched in hand_

 _Everyone caught in the struggle_

 _This is the day we finally find our way_

 _Stepping into our tomorrow_

During Faker's beautiful singing, the brown-skinned woman was gently stitching the large wounds on Kirby's body. The pain on the pink puffball's skin was great, but the pain in his heart was greater still as he kept holding in his tears. As soon as Faker was finished stitching Kirby's wounds, she took out the white band-aids, sticking them onto Kirby's smaller cuts and scratches.

 _Every soul contains a whisper of light_

 _Growing louder as it calls to unite_

 _From the distance sings a chorus of_ _souls_

 _Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals_

 _Colors weave into a spire of flame_

 _Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

 _Bear this torch against the cold of the night_

 _Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight_

As soon as Kirby was all patched up, he was starting to become sleepy during the lullaby rendition of Faker's song. The last thing he managed to hear were the last lyrics of her angelic voice.

 _Every soul contains a whisper of light_

 _Growing louder as it calls to unite_

 _From the distance sings a chorus of souls_

 _Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals_

 _Colors weave into a spire of flame_

 _Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

 _Bear this torch against the cold of the night_

 _Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight_

Once Faker was finished singing, she laid the pink puffball onto his assigned bed, watching as Kirby silently wept himself to sleep. Tears built up in the brown-skinned woman's golden eyes as she looked at the photograph Kirby took with him. She knew that her song _Lifelight_ was heartbreaking when she found out what happened to Kirby's friends. Faker then dimmed the oil lamp to an almost-nonexistent flame, pushing it closer to the wall as she laid the photograph on the small table, quietly walking out of the room with Amaterasu. The Piranha Plant was listening to Faker's song this whole time, deeply moved by it despite the fact that he doesn't have any visible eyes or ears. He was finished drawing a brand-new cut-out for the poster Kirby drew on the wall, and it looked a lot like himself in his battle stance, which was just as exquisite as the rest of the colored fighters. The carnivorous flower then taped himself to the poster, realizing that just because he's not one of the greatest warriors of all times doesn't mean he can't be a part of the family of fighters. As Piranha Plant sat next to the poster, watching Kirby peacefully sleep, it wasn't long until the carnivorous flower himself dozed off in the flower pot he was stuck in this whole time.

* * *

Morning arrived, and the Undying Light was still soaring through the air thanks to the auto-pilot engine. The Normal Spirits were the first to wake up, fixing up the ship with some of the supplies they brought on board. Faker then woke up afterwards, slowly walking into Kirby and Piranha Plant's room. The brown-skinned woman was fully dressed in her opal dragon uniform, and she took off her glove to put out the dimming oil lamp and stroke the pink puffball's soft body. The Piranha Plant was the first to wake up quickly, shaking his rounded red head. Kirby then slowly stirred up, turning his head to look at Faker.

"Had a good night's sleep?" Faker asked. Kirby nodded, rubbing his eyes. When Kirby looked at himself again, he noticed all the wounds covering his body were gone.

"The soap I used instantly heals the toughest of wounds overnight," Faker replied. "You'll be able to rescue your friends again in no time…" Kirby then hugged Faker again, with Piranha Plant watching the two embrace each other in comfort. The pink puffball slowly opened his eyes, giving off a faint gleam like everyone else did before. The gleam was instantly warping around Kirby's eyes, leading into a cross off-center. Only Piranha Plant noticed it too, and he suddenly felt his jagged teeth gleam the same pattern as well. After Faker opened her eyes again after the hug, she suddenly saw the charm around her neck was gleaming with rainbow colors again.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, both he and Piranha Plant noticing the brown-skinned woman losing her focus. In her golden eyes, she saw the Fighter Spirits again, simply floating in the room and watching her and the two fighters.

"I see them," Faker answered. Kirby was wondering what she meant by that… until he took a look at the poster on the empty wall. The pink puffball then quickly turned around, anxious. However, once he saw behind himself, there was nothing in the room but beds lined up with beds.

"…Poyo?" Kirby asked again, with the Piranha Plant looking in the direction the brown-skinned woman was looking to.

"I swear I see them right now… in this room with us," Faker objected. "All of your friends are right here… with us…" Just as soon as she looked up again, she too saw nothing, and the glowing charm on her neck faded back into the usual violet color.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, a small tear building up in one of his eyes. Faker then sighed, with the Piranha Plant walking towards her on the bed's side. The brown-skinned woman then got up, lifting Kirby off the bed.

"Nothing," Faker answered, sighing with grief. "Let's just… get yourself prepared. You're gonna be dropping off soon…" The three travelers then walked out of the room, leaving a beautifully decorated room and a photograph ten years old on the small table next to Kirby's bed.

* * *

After a filling breakfast, Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker were outside on the deck, meeting up with Captain Barbara, the Great Sage, Amaterasu, Flynn, Sticks, E. Gadd, and the only remaining Assist Trophies that managed to escape from the events of Gallia's birth.

"Listen up, new cadets," Barbara spoke. "Since you are apparently on a rescue mission, we'll be recruiting you with the best gadgets we could come up with. Once you've learned to use them wisely, you might just get the hang of learning more about our main enemy." Grabbing some sort of disk from E. Gadd's lab coat, Barbara the Bat tossed it onto the wooden floor, revealing a hologram of some sorts. The hologram was a picture of a UV sphere surrounding a humongous black hole.

"Far off into the central north is the Northern Barrier," Barbara continued. "It's where the gateway to the Gallian Void awaits, and where Galeem's true form resides. This task might sound easy to just going through the gateway and defeating the Seraph of Order, but it's impossible to do so since the barrier itself is impenetrable. Legends have stated that the only way to break the barrier is to defeat his followers currently visible in the World of Light, those of which have been marked with his Lock. Once all of the Locks are broken, only then can you reawaken the Smash Balls of legend and prepare for the final battle."

"However," Barbara continued, "this land is infected with many of Galeem's servants, especially the Subspace Army. Spirits left and right are being enslaved under his power, with mainly the Master Spirits forced to possess his vessels for enhanced skills and mainly the Normal Spirits to assist with special abilities. Each Spirit is different, so be careful who you go up against. There are still many secrets we haven't learned yet, so how you play Galeem's game is entirely up to you." Barbara then turned off the hologram disk and gave it back to E. Gadd before taking three, watch-like devices from him. The Legendary Spirit then passed each one of them to the three travelers – Faker putting one on her wrist, Kirby trying another up to his stubby arm, and Piranha Plant looping one more around his stem near his flower pot. The devices each had one big red button in front of the travelers' wrists.

"These special kinks are designed to program how you fight," E. Gadd spoke. "We'll be monitoring whatever you do up here. One press of their buttons per second allows you to communicate from down below, two presses per second alerts us that a baddie is nearby, and three presses per second automatically or manually allows us to transport you back onto the ship. Is that clear?" Faker, Kirby, and Piranha Plant nodded, ready to go. Shortly after, a drop-off plank stuck out on the right side of the Undying Light, signifying the trio to go off. Just when they set foot on the plank, Flynn ran right up to them.

"Almost forgot to give you three something," the Mabu pilot panted. Afterwards, Flynn handed Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker each a folded-up glider.

"Use it once you're all close to the ground," Flynn continued. "When you land on Gallia's surface, you don't wanna look like a pancake…" Once the Mabu pilot stepped away, the brown-skinned woman, the carnivorous flower, and the pink puffball walked near the rim of the plank. Looking down from hundreds of feet high in the air, Kirby then suddenly remembered what Sonic said to him back when Galeem was attacking the fighters.

"Whatever you do, don't lose the memories we had together… not as friends, but as family," Sonic's voice spoke out in Kirby's memories. The pink puffball's eyes began to turn watery again when he kept getting flashbacks to the past, remembering all of his friends possibly getting killed.

"Godspeed, you little curbstomper…" Sonic's voice read out again, Kirby trembling in place as he stood on the edge of the drop-off plank, a tear shedding from his face as he remembered crying out to the blue hedgehog and everyone else he cared about. Just then, Faker placed a hand on Kirby's nonexistent shoulder, followed by Piranha Plant stroking Kirby's back with his leaf.

"We'll be there for you," Faker told Kirby. The pink puffball then wiped the tear from his face, looking back at the Spirits that were ready to see them touch the land of Gallia again.

"There is also a riddle spoken to me, and I want you to remember it: _Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock._ Remember this message, okay? It might help in the future..." That was the last message that was spoken to Kirby by Sonic the Hedgehog, and the pink puffball never forgot every single word. With a deep breath, Kirby held on tight to his fold-up glider, jumping off the Undying Light with the Piranha Plant and Faker.


	28. Pt 28: What's Going On

After jumping off the Undying Light, Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker were falling through the clouds, looking at the huge world from up above. It was gonna be a hard task for finding all of Kirby's friends, but the pink puffball knows he can do it. Just when the three adventurers were about to hit the ground, they all pulled out their gliders. They unfolded as soon as the gush of wind flew into them, slowing down their descent. Once Faker, Kirby, and the Piranha Plant touched the ground gently, they put away their gliders. Just then, Faker's watch-like device started beeping. Pressing the button once, the brown-skinned woman clad in dragon armor heard the voices of the Spirits up in the ship they were just on before.

"Captain Barbara to newcomers, can you read me?" Barbara spoke, the thin line on the button's screen spiking up and down in all directions.

"We hear you, loud and clear," Faker replied.

"Just a heads-up we'll be tracking you through those watches," Barbara continued. "If our technology is correct, you should have landed on top of a small hill…" And right they were. Kirby and the Piranha Plant looked around, noticing they were on the peak of a dirt mound just a few feet larger than any of the three warriors were, and there was a brown pathway spiraling downward on the green grass.

"Be careful down there," Barbara continued. "If ever you need any help, remember that one button press a second on your device allows you to communicate with us, two presses alerts, and three gives us access to teleporting you back to the Undying Light. You got that?"

"Got it," Faker answered.

"Okay," Barbara replied. "Good luck. And you too, Kirby. We're all counting on you to save us, both you and Piranha Plant." The button on Faker's wrist stopped glowing, and it was the chance to begin the real adventure.

"Let's do this," Faker spoke, pulling out her dragon's tooth sword. With a strict nod, Kirby and Piranha Plant were already amped up for battle. Starting from the top of the hill, the three adventurers traveled down the dirt path, spiraling down to the roots. Once they were at a flat landscape, they noticed the grassland was merely empty as they kept following the trail. Kirby then suddenly noticed a strange figure, waiting behind the tall shrubs. Confused, the pink puffball tugged at Faker's tunic, encouraging her to look in the same direction he was pointing to.

"What is it, Kirby?" Faker asked. The brown-skinned woman then noticed what Kirby saw: a dark figure lurking behind the shrubs in the sunlight. Moving his neck up, Piranha Plant snarled and growled at the stranger, his teeth barring. The figure merely stood there, not even moving.

"Perhaps we should go," Faker objected, holding her sword with both hands. Kirby, on the other hand, grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her with him close to the strange figure. The Piranha Plant followed shortly after, and the three of them were now walking towards this peculiar person. Just then, as Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker walked right in front of the figure, they were able to identify it as being half the height of Faker, wearing a cap and overalls, reminding Kirby of someone very familiar, despite wearing monochromatic, black clothing.

"Ma… ma… Mario!" Kirby stuttered, running towards the still plumber. The pink puffball was just about to give the plumber a hug, but both Faker and the Piranha Plant suddenly felt like what's going to happen next.

"Watch out, Kirby! It's a trap!" Faker yelled, Piranha Plant running towards Kirby with his stubby roots hidden under the flower pot. It was suddenly too late as the figure that looked like Mario suddenly grasped Kirby by his nonexistent neck, almost choking the pink puffball. The ground suddenly started rumbling, and some sort of large platform emerged fast as it flew into the air. The Piranha Plant was the only one to grab onto the ledge with his two big leaves, while Faker merely tumbled back upon herself thanks to the heavy rumbling, causing her to just look up and watch.

As Kirby was struggling against the strong grab, gasping for breath, the Mario figure slowly opened his eyes, revealing only the vacant red light within his irises. The Piranha Plant quickly climbed on, and the stage's environment drastically changed. There was some sort of special barrier forming around the three fighters, and the insides of it started changing into some sort of wild forest, with peculiar creatures that looked like they were from the world Olimar visited, and the stage itself shifted into a Battlefield form, with giant leaves serving as three platforms and vines twisting around the solid ground on the stage. It was the Distant Planet stage in Battlefield form.

The Mario figure clothed in black then threw Kirby right in front of Piranha Plant, but the carnivorous flower managed to dodge and catch the pink puffball in time with his mouth. Kirby hopped back onto the stage, standing next to the Piranha Plant. The Mario figure walked up towards the two fighters, and Faker watched everything from up above even if the invisible UV sphere barrier was blocking her from reaching up to Kirby and Piranha Plant, pressing the button on her device twice to alert the Spirits back on the airship.

Kirby first pulled out his signature hammer, setting it on flames as the Mario figure ran towards them. With a mighty whack, the pink puffball managed to land a hit on the warrior, but the figure jumped behind himself, setting his fists on fire and clenching his teeth. The Piranha Plant quickly shot his stem out of his flower pot, attempting to bite the Mario figure. Alas, the possessed warrior jumped out of the way in time, leaving the carnivorous flower open. The black-clothed Mario figure then suddenly transformed his body into a metallic coating, granting him increased super armor and damage over jumping power and speed. The possessed fighter then began grabbing the carnivorous flower into a headlock, strangling the Piranha Plant.

As the Piranha Plant's head was glowing yellow while the metal Mario figure kept strangling him, purple-ish liquid flowing from his mouth, Kirby instantly pulled out the sword lent to him by Sir Kibble, preforming the Final Cutter technique. The Mario figure's metal coat suddenly vanished, and the pink puffball had his chance to slice upward and end with a powerful downward slash, followed by a short-distance projectile. The Piranha Plant, feeling himself free from the black-clothed plumber's grasp, then managed to spew out a nasty poison projectile, toxic enough to damage the enemy warrior's shoulder. Reverting back to his normal red color, the Piranha Plant then jumped into the air with Kirby, attempting to attack the black-clothed Mario figure again.

Once the Mario figure shifted into a metal coat again, he was also slow enough for Kirby to grab him from behind, allowing the Piranha Plant to bite at the possessed plumber. Once the two fighters racked up enough damage from the team-up, the Mario figure suddenly shifted back into his normal form, allowing Kirby to generate a strong throw from behind. After flinging the possessed warrior behind himself, the pink puffball watched with the carnivorous flower as the Mario figure was flung towards the UV barrier surrounding the stage, instantly zapped to death the moment he touched the background of the Distant Planet stage. The barrier suddenly exploded in a mass of glowing confetti, a mass of rocks of what used to be the stage suddenly falling down as Faker quickly ran out of the way. The Piranha Plant landed on the ground next to the brown-skinned woman, but Kirby was simply floating in the air, watching the black-clothed Mario he just defeated now collapse into a liquid golden mess, transforming into Shadow Bugs and floating away into the grassland. What remained was now a glowing-blue Smoky Progg Spirit, the Normal Novice kind in particular. As Kirby's friends saw that the pink puffball could not move or allow himself to be rescued from whatever situation he was in, the Smoky Progg Spirit then generated a magical barrier around itself.

A strange gun coated in gold and gleaming with rainbow flames suddenly generated in Kirby's stubby hands, causing the three adventurers to become very confused by what was going on. The barrier then opened a slit gap horizontally across itself, spinning on its horizontal axis fast. Terrified, Kirby did not know what to do with the weapon he was suddenly given for whatever unknown reason, but the only thing Kirby could move in the position he was stuck in was his nonexistent finger on the gun's trigger. Quickly turning away and shutting his eyes, the pink puffball fired a pretty lucky snipe at the Smoky Progg Spirit, instantly breaking the barrier. Kirby then suddenly felt himself free again, the gun in his hands vanishing and the pink puffball slowly floating down to his two friends.

"What the hell just happened!?" Faker asked, caring for Kirby's health. Even the pink puffball did not know what was going on as he rubbed his cuddly skin. The Smoky Progg Spirit then floated next to the three adventurers, floating right into Faker's charm on her neck. Both Kirby and Piranha Plant turned their heads towards the brown-skinned woman, and she had no idea what happened.

"It just… went right into my heirloom," Faker replied, both she and the two fighters wondering what happened after the fight. Just then, the devices on each one of the three adventurers started beeping, and Faker immediately pressed the button on hers.

"You were alerting us," Barbara spoke. "What happened?"

"We found some sort of warrior," Faker answered. "It looked like one of Kirby's friends, but… different somehow…"

"Each one of you press the buttons on your devices three times," Barbara continued. "You all will be back on the Undying Light shortly while they leave behind a beacon for you to teleport back to later." Once the transmission ended, Faker then pressed the button on her device three times, fading into blue as she ascended into the air and warped out of the area. The Piranha Plant pressed his device three times with his long tongue, following after Faker. Kirby did the same to his device on his nonexistent shoulder, and the three warriors were back on the ship, leaving behind a tiny metal ball what served as the beacon Barbara talked about. The three warriors were all on the airship's deck, trying to get used to this new form of transportation. Barbara then walked up towards them from the cockpit, followed by E. Gadd and the Great Sage.

"Pray tell what was going on," Barbara spoke, the glowing-red Spirit taking the fold-up gliders and watch-like devices from Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker.

"It's going to be hard to understand, but please try to pay attention," Faker answered.

"We'll try," Barbara replied, giving the tools to the glowing-blue E. Gadd. "It's the least we could do, since we need to know everything about Galeem and what his plans are…"

"Well," Faker continued, "it went a little something like this: We were following the dirt path spiraling down the hill we landed on, leading to a wide grassland at the roots. Just then, we met up with a mysterious stranger that looked a lot like the Mario person Kirby addressed. However, before we even touched this Mario, the ground shifted, and both Kirby and the Piranha Plant were trapped in some sort of stage surrounded by an invisible barrier, fighting the Mario figure that was changing into metal at some points in time. Eventually, Piranha Plant and Kirby defeated him, but Kirby was suddenly caught in midair as the enemy fighter disintegrated into golden liquid and then Shadow Bugs, leaving behind a Normal Novice Smoky Progg. A strange gun coated in gold and rainbow flames generated in Kirby's hands, and the fact that he couldn't move except pull the trigger scared him. The barrier surrounding the Spirit had a wide opening and it was spinning fast too. The moment Kirby pulled the trigger on the strange gun, the pink puffball managed to snipe the Spirit and free it as well as himself, and the Smoky Progg suddenly went into my charm. This all sounds crazy, but that's what really happened." Taking a deep breath, Faker was panting after spewing out all of that information. The Great Sage, E. Gadd, and Barbara all looked at each other, thinking about what the brown-skinned warrior just said.

"We… seriously can't answer all that in just one day," Barbara replied. Faker nodded, understanding the situation at hand.

"We might figure out a little more, but first you're going to have to eat up and meet up at where you dropped the beacon in five minutes," Barbara continued, noticing Kirby and Piranha Plant were both tired. "The two fighters you're partnered with are exhausted…" The brown-skinned warrior nodded, walking with the pink puffball and the carnivorous flower to the dining table. Barbara then turned her head towards E. Gadd and the Great Sage.

"This sounds serious indeed," the Great Sage said.

"I know," Barbara continued. "As soon as our little trio is ready to go, we'll try monitoring everything they do and help look for their friends. Kirby is our last chance off this planet. If he can't do it now, then he can't do it ever…"

After a filling meal, Faker, Piranha Plant, and Kirby met up with the three Normal Spirits from before, this time partnered with Sticks, Saki, Amaterasu, and Magnus.

"During your little break, some of the Spirits and I on this ship decided to put our heads together and add a few tweaks into those gadgets of yours so you won't need those gliders," Barbara spoke, handing the three adventurers back their watch-like devices.

"When you press each of the buttons three times, they will automatically teleport you back to the beacon left on Gallia," Barbara continued. "However, the beacon vanishes once you arrive at its location, so be careful. We'll try watching out for that little incident you had before with this… Mario person, okay? Keep them on their toes." Kirby nodded, slipping his device on his nonexistent shoulder. After the Piranha Plant and Faker put on theirs, they were all ready to go after all that grub fueling them up during their break.

"Good luck, comrades," Barbara finished, she and the Spirits waving at the three adventurers as they glowed blue, fading downwards to the beacon that was placed in their last location. Once Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker touched solid ground again, the beacon they left behind vanished as stated before, leaving the trio still on the dirt path in the grassland.

"You okay down there?" Barbara asked over the transmitters.

"We can still hear you," Faker answered. "It's just really queasy trying to get used to teleporting to and from your ship…"

"Just continue down the path you're on," Barbara advised. "It should be no big deal. Whatever you find, you could find some clues to your missing friends, or maybe enemies like the Subspace Army and hostile Spirits…"

"Understand," Faker said. "Over and out." The transmission ended, and the brown-skinned woman clad in dragon armor ran off on the path leading to a forest with Kirby and Piranha Plant.


	29. Pt 29: Another Spirit Worth Saving

Traveling through the thick forest, Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker were keeping their eyes peeled, listening for any dangers close by.

"I just don't understand," Faker said, the pink puffball and the carnivorous flower walking up to her. "I thought the crew back at the ship said that only the Master Spirits can possess vessels. I didn't know the same applied to Normal Spirits, but it probably just doesn't apply to only those that were rumored…" Kirby nodded, staying close to the brown-skinned warrior and Piranha Plant. Since the forest was covered in prehistoric vines, the three adventurers did not know what to expect in the darkness. Just then, Kirby noticed another figure lurking behind the bushes. The pink puffball tugged on the dragon armor-clad warrior, anxious to meet this creature.

"Remember what happened last time?" Faker asked. "You were nearly killed when we encountered these creatures. I'm going to alert our Spirit friends about this just so they can get a good overview of who we're up against." Pressing the button on her device twice, Faker was about to alert to Undying Light crew before looking up. The figure in front of the trio vanished without a sound.

"Keep your guard up," Faker said, unsheathing her sword. Kirby and Piranha Plant held their nonexistent fists clenched in front of their faces, looking around in the darkness while still staying on the path. Suddenly, Faker felt something snag her tunic, and the rest of her body soon followed. Something grabbed her, and it was carrying her away. Crying for help, the brown-skinned woman struggled against the mysterious figure holding her hostage, forcing Piranha Plant and Kirby to chase after their target. The two were following the mysterious figure straight down the path they were on, running until they were out of the forest. As Kirby and the Piranha Plant stepped onto another grassy field, they saw right in front of them was Faker, her hand reaching for that sword of hers. Clasping onto her tight was the strange figure, appearing in the form of Yoshi.

"Yoshi!" Kirby cried, the Piranha Plant licking his teeth. The Yoshi figure holding Faker hostage was much smaller and coated in blue, his gleaming red irises explaining everything. He was one of Galeem's minor servants. Once the blue Yoshi let go of Faker, she was gasping for breath, panting as Kirby and Piranha Plant ran to her side. The blue Yoshi then began yelling his kind's howl, calling for reinforcements. Running out of two large boulders on each side of the path were a red Yoshi with Superspicy Curry breath, and a yellow Yoshi equipped with a Screw Attack and a Super Leaf, both of them the same small size as the blue one. Once the three puppet Yoshis united, the ground shook again, with a huge, peculiar pillar shooting out with Faker, Kirby, and Piranha Plant with them. Another UV sphere formed around the stage, creating some sort of crayon drawing of a paradise island. A tilting platform emerged from the stage, transforming into the crafted style the pillar took. The three adventurers were on the Yoshi's Island stage, and they were facing against the blue Yoshi and his reinforcements.

The red Yoshi ran towards Faker, fire spewing out from his little mouth and red eyes gleaming bright. The brown-skinned woman began counter-attacking the flames with her dragon-tooth sword, lashing at every opportunity. Just then, a Pokéball spawned in the red Yoshi's hands, and the puppet fighter threw it on the ground. An Eevee appeared, starting to use its Tackle move. It did not seem like much, but Faker was getting whacked around in the knees by the Pokémon while she was slicing at the red Yoshi.

The Piranha Plant watched the yellow Yoshi flying through the air, spinning in an electrical ball with the Screw Attack and waving his raccoon-like tail from the Super Leaf to float in the air. The carnivorous flower then shot up a gust of air, with a spiked ball to go with it. Once the yellow Yoshi was gliding down in front of the dancing flowers and the Fly Guys, another Pokéball in his hands, Piranha Plant blew the spiked ball at the puppet fighter, knocking the yellow Yoshi to his feet. Not even the Eevee summoned by the yellow Yoshi did any justice to one of Piranha Plant's powerful attacks: which involved the carnivorous flower tucking into his flower pot before instantly shooting out with an outstretched stem, biting at the yellow Yoshi.

Kirby had his hands full of fighting the small, blue Yoshi, putting the puppet fighter into a jab lock. Rapidly throwing a series of punches, Kirby finished with a blow to the blue Yoshi's head, knocking the puppet fighter off the stage. However, a Blarggwich spawned underneath the blue Yoshi, providing him with a good shot of recovery. The blue Yoshi was about to throw another Pokéball which contained another Eevee, but Kirby dash-attacked with the Burning Leo's ability into the puppet fighter, transforming into a burning ball of flame right before snatching the Pokéball out of the blue Yoshi's arms.

Faker jumped out top of the tilting platform, but Eevee merely forced her to keep a steady balance as it hopped on, its weight moving the platform. The red Yoshi's Superspicy Curry breath was gone, allowing Faker a chance to avoid the summoned Eevee and follow up with a devastating hit. The brown-skinned woman then jumped over the Pokémon, leaving Eevee confused before it mysteriously vanished into thin air. Once she managed to avoid the Yoshi Bomb from the red Yoshi, she followed with multiple slashes from her dragon-tooth sword, giving her time to finish the puppet fighter and knocking the red Yoshi out. Once the small, red Yoshi touched the UV sphere, electricity shot out of its body, causing the puppet fighter to transform into a gleaming white orb.

The Piranha Plant also noticed the small, yellow Yoshi lost its Screw Attack and Super Leaf power-ups, allowing the carnivorous flower to counter-attack. Spinning its two leaves after jumping, Piranha Plant whacked them rapidly into the yellow Yoshi, sending it flying off fast. Once the yellow Yoshi fluttered in midair to get back to the stage, the Piranha Plant stomped with its flower pot, knocking the yellow Yoshi straight down into the blast zone of the UV sphere, transforming the puppet fighter into another white orb. All that remained was Kirby against the small, blue Yoshi.

The pink puffball jumped into the air, using his stone ability to fall on top of the blue Yoshi. Whatever the puppet fighter did, Kirby quickly reacted against it, proving the young Star Warrior had the upper hand. The blue Yoshi then shielded, but it was quickly broken with Kirby's fully-charged hammer attack. After the puppet fighter's red eyes became dazed after his shield broke, Kirby finished the small, blue Yoshi off with a powerful kick, sending the puppet fighter to the blast zone where he transformed into one more white orb. The stage and the UV sphere then vanished, causing the three travelers to land on their feet once they jumped off. After the Yoshi's Island stage disappeared, the three orbs of light that were once the three small Yoshis fused together, creating a Yoshi colored in blotches of red, yellow, and blue.

The Spirit that emerged from the combined puppet fighters was a Normal Novice Eevee, just like the Pokémon that were summoned from the Pokéballs that were randomly generated, and the puppet fighters disintegrated into Shadow Bugs, drifting off into the wind. This time, the Piranha Plant found himself floating in midair, the rainbow-glowing golden gun appearing in its two large leaves while Kirby and Faker could only watch. The barrier surrounding the Eevee Spirit began spinning, distracting the carnivorous flower. However, with enough confidence, the Piranha Plant pulled the trigger, sniping the Spirit first try. The barrier vanished, and the Novice Normal Eevee Spirit flew right into Faker's charm again. The golden gun vanished in Piranha Plant's leaves, and the carnivorous flower felt himself drop to the ground, free somehow. He noticed Faker looking confused, so he ran towards her to try and see what just happened.

"Poyo-poyo?" Kirby asked, both he and Piranha Plant looking at the brown-skinned warrior in question. Faker merely shook her head, rubbing her eyes.

"Why is it the Normal Spirits?" Faker asked, clasping over her charm. "And if so, why do they fly into MY heirloom whenever you guys defeat them?" Faker then suddenly saw that necklace of hers gleaming in rainbows, and both Kirby and Piranha Plant noticed it too. The brown-skinned woman then suddenly looked up, seeing the Fighter Spirits right in front of her. However, when Kirby turned around after noticing she was staring off into the distance, he saw nothing but fresh green grass on the field next to the dirt path they were still on. Kirby then looked back at Faker, shaking his head in sorrow.

"…Poyo," Kirby replied, tears in his eyes. Faker then noticed the rainbow-glowing charm is what gives her the ability to see the Fighter Spirits, all of it making sense somehow. Taking off the jewel located in her charm, its golden Smash Ball symbol still present, the black-haired, brown-skinned warrior handed the gemstone to Kirby, leaving only behind a golden chain necklace.

"Here," Faker said, placing the gemstone in Kirby's stubby hands. "Take this. I think it's what's causing me to notice your friends. It could probably apply to you too. Keep it safe for me, okay?" The pink puffball nodded, Piranha Plant looking at Faker in confusion. Popping the rainbow-glowing gemstone with the Smash Ball symbol into his mouth like a hard candy, Kirby swallowed the gemstone, aware that he can take it out of his body at any time. A brief flash of the Smash Ball symbol then flashed in his eyes, and the Piranha Plant felt his teeth get the same gleam too. After Kirby opened his eyes, he and the carnivorous flower both saw all of the fighters that stood side-by-side with him during Galeem's attack, levitating in midair and glowing in a rainbow aura. Only Faker did not notice.

Finally happy again, Kirby ran in joy towards the Fighter Spirits. However, when he was just about to give at least one of them a hug, he simply felt himself pass through them like a ghost. Looking at his stubby hands, Kirby then turned his head to see his friends looking down on him in sadness.

"I'm afraid you can't even touch us," Link said. "After Galeem created his lock, we were all banished to exile, unable to reunite with our bodies and join you on our own." Kirby merely stepped back, his pink body trembling. The Piranha Plant then placed a leaf on Kirby's back comforting the pink puffball.

"It looks like swallowing the gem from that female friend of yours has earned you and your new companion the ability to at least see us again," Simon replied, noticing the carnivorous flower that was with them this whole time.

"When we're out here, cold and dead, we at least obtain the memories we had before as well as the memories of our backstory and homeland," Palutena spoke. "That stone you swallowed seems to hold more powers than just seeing us."

"You gotta get us back to our bodies so we can kick Galeem's butt!" Sonic cried. "You can do this, little curbstomper."

"We believe in you," the Mii Brawler answered. "With that gem, you can try calling one of us and we'll see what we can do to assist you." Kirby then got up, nodding with determination written all over his face.

"Go out there and give those Spirits what you've-a got," Mario said. "Free the residents of this world from that monster and return them back to their homeworld to reunite with their bodies. We'll always be there for you." Turning invisible, the Fighter Spirits disappeared from the grassy field, leaving Kirby and Piranha Plant alone with Faker.

"Well?" Faker asked. "Are we going or what?" Kirby and Piranha Plant looked back on the brown-skinned woman, ready to fight again.

"Perfect," Faker continued. "Now then, let's get out of here before any more of those things show up." Suddenly, before she took another step, a black-red cloud loomed in the sky, violet thunder rumbling from up above. The ground started quivering again, though the vibrations were coming from behind the three adventurers. Looking back, the group found Shadow Bugs raining from above, creating Shaydas and Boom Primids riding on Armanks, Towtows, Roaders, and Shellpods, followed by a swarm of Auroros and Armights. Riding alongside the minor Subspace Army members were the possessed Mii Fighters with special steeds, and they were not just special. They were apparently the Velociraptors from the Cascade Kingdom found in Mario's world, and their riders were carrying some sort of net piloted by Floows. As the dinosaur stampede and Galeem's Subspace Army ran towards the three travelers, Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker were all ready to flee. Kirby and Piranha Plant grabbed ahold of Faker's arm, pulling her with them as they kept running on the path away from the incoming enemies.

The three fighters were just on the rim of some ancient ruins before the Floows teleported right in front of them, tossing the black net onto them and weighting it down. Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker kept struggling through the net as the raptor steeds and the Subspace Army closed in, surrounding them. Faker tried cutting through the net, but it was no use. The ropes were thick and tight. The Armights and the Auroros flew in, stabbing at the three travelers while the stampede was slowly closing in on them. Just when they were about to electrocute Kirby, Faker, and Piranha Plant with a special prod, they suddenly heard roaring coming from the entrance to the ruins. Knowing about what was to happen next, both the Subspace Army and the Mii Fighters rode off down the path in the opposite direction the three adventurers were traveling down, and the Floows flew off too, leaving the net unguarded.

After Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker pulled off the black net, they looked towards the entrance to the ruins, watching as another dinosaur stormed up right in front of them. From that mighty roar it emitted, the three travelers noticed it was a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but it sported Mario's mustache and red cap. Its eyes gleamed red, merely staring at the two fighters and their female companion as it crouched down. Pulling up his nonexistent fists, Kirby knew who the first fighter was he has to deal with.


	30. Pt 30: Mr Video Game Himself

The t-rex with Mario's cap and moustache loomed over Kirby, Piranha Plant, and Faker, its red eyes gleaming bright. Saliva drooled from its sharp teeth, and the three warriors were trembling. The dinosaur then tilted its head towards the now-clear sky, letting out a mighty roar. Its moustache and cap then vanished, causing the dinosaur to fall unconscious. Jumping in front of the three adventurers was none other than Mario, with his standard colors and all. The gleaming red color shined through his irises, however, and Kirby suddenly knew that his friend is alive.

"You insignificant fools!" Mario spoke, though his voice was completely different. Both Faker and Piranha Plant were ready to fight this foe, but Kirby looked at Mario like something has changed about him.

"What are you looking at?" Mario asked, the red plumber noticing the pink puffball giving him a peculiar look.

"You're probably wondering who's inside your precious Mario's body," Mario's new voice continued. "Let's just say that I'm an old 'frenemy' of his, going by the name of… how should I say it…? Oh yeah! Exor! Exor's my name!" The Spirit inside Mario's body revealed himself to Faker, Piranha Plant, and Kirby, flashing a small image on the red plumber's chest. It was revealed to be a Legendary Master Spirit, with Exor shaped like a sword with a dragon-like face on the hilt and a monster skull on top. The image disappeared, leaving only Mario with glowing-red eyes in front of the three adventurers.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Faker objected. "How can you take Normal Spirits and put them in vessels?" Exor simply laughed, straightening his cap.

"I would like to tell you, but I don't wanna force-feed you exposition just to waste my time," Exor answered. "Right now, I've got personal business to deal with this little pink puffball…" Exor then grabbed ahold of Kirby, dragging him away from his two friends while the pink puffball squirmed. The Piranha Plant was about to bite him, but Exor snapped with Mario's fingers, and two golden bird cages formed around each fighter. Both Faker and Piranha Plant tried bending the bars, but to no avail. A strange vortex formed around Mario's body, Exor's voice laughing as he grabbed on tight to a struggling Kirby. Afterwards, both Kirby and Mario vanished, leaving both the Piranha Plant and Faker stuck in golden cages.

Kirby then slowly stirred up, noticing the ground was different, like hard black opal. Strange patterns leading to the center were pulsing red, and on the side was some sort of futuristic platform sticking out of the ground, a blue halo swirling behind it. Kirby felt the wind on his face as he looked at the sky, noticing the background was a series of dancing cosmic particles, each pattern they appear in uniquely different. In front of the pink puffball at a good distance was none other than Exor himself, taking control of Mario's body.

"Welcome to the Final Destination, kid!" Exor yelled. "This is a special location where only Master Hands can meet up, and where my true powers are still yet to take hold." As Kirby watched with fear, Mario's white gloves ripped open to reveal the sides of Exor's hilt, his teeth becoming as sharp as literal sword blades, and the handle with the skull on the tip impaling Mario's cap, his eyes now fully glowing red with not just the irises.

"You want to rescue your friend, you'll have to go through me!" Exor snarled, setting Mario's transformed hands ablaze. Once Kirby and Exor ran towards each other, their fists clashed, causing them to hop back after the brutal force. Kirby was the first to get up, dragging forth his flaming hammer that pulsed hotter. He was about to hit Exor, but the possessed fighter grabbed ahold of the mallet, shooting a lightning bolt out of his hand. After Kirby was zapped, he quickly floated off, kicking with his feet. The pink puffball was whacking Mario's face, basically hurting Exor. With a powerful grab, Exor used Mario's body to throw Kirby in front of him, sending Kirby flying downward with a hand dunk.

Kirby would not give up as he quickly pulled out his Cutter sword, slashing at the possessed Mario. Just then, poisonous saliva drooled out of Mario's mouth, stunning Kirby when Exor spat on the pink puffball. As Kirby was dazed, Exor then used his Flame Stone ability, creating a massive blast around himself. Once Kirby was tossed onto the black opal floor of the Final Destination stage, he knew it would be over for him as he looked up to see a transformed Mario walk towards him, his hands ablaze. Who would have figured that rescuing his friends was harder than it looked, especially when he was so light in weight?

As soon as the weakened Star Warrior tried opening his eyes, he saw another figure looming over him. Once Kirby adjusted his vision, Mario's Fighter Spirit was showing himself, floating right next to the pink puffball.

"Now's your chance to strike back," the real Mario in Spirit form spoke. "Inhale my body and gain my Copy Ability. I'll be taking control for you." Kirby did not understand what Mario said, but Exor was walking closer, wiping the poison off his lips. The pink puffball them jumped up, putting on an aggressive face before Mario's Spirit vanished. Kirby then opened his mouth, breathing in as hard as he could. As Kirby inhaled, he pulled in Mario's body, and Exor could do nothing to escape. Once Kirby had the puppet fighter in his mouth, he swallowed, automatically spitting out Mario's body and gaining the Copy Ability. However, things were different for the pink puffball as he suddenly felt himself change. He began sporting the red cap Mario had, but the Smash Ball gleam flashed in his eyes as Kirby began seeing the memories Mario had: the adventures through the Mushroom Kingdom with Luigi to rescue Peach, sliding down pipes and obtaining Mushrooms and Fire Flowers, telling stories with Luigi about their interests and the fact that they have to face Bowser time-and-time again is what makes them tick, as well as other god-like beings. So many adventures that Mario went through all forgotten after his first appearance in Arcadia. Then, for Kirby, everything went dark.

Mario's Fighter Spirit took full control over Kirby's body, and now the pink puffball became a warrior of two minds. Exor in Mario's body merely looked at the new and improved Kirby, confused by what just happened after the Inhale move. Mario's Fighter Spirit then set Kirby's stubby hands on fire, ready to continue.

"Long-a time no see, Exor!" Mario's voice spoke out from Kirby. "You want-a to finish this?"

"Oh it's on, asshole!" Exor growled, the glowing-red eyes shining out from Mario's body. Kirby's body then started moving like Mario did, avoiding powerful attacks from Exor like Diamond Saw and Water Blast. Pulling out his F.L.U.D.D. device, Mario inside Kirby's body then heated the machine's tank with his fiery ability, spewing out scalding water. Blisters started forming on Exor inside Mario's body, causing him to scream in pain. Kirby's body then grabbed ahold of the puppet fighter, tossing him up into the air before following with a Super Jump Punch.

After a long series of whaling on Mario's body, Kirby landed down on the ground, ready to finish the wounded puppet fighter for good and bring his buddy back. Setting his stubby fists on fire one last time, Mario inside Kirby's body unleashed a powerful punch on Exor, causing Mario's body to fly into the blast zone of the Final Destination. After the fight was over and Kirby with Mario's Fighter Spirit emerged victorious, the stage and the background suddenly disintegrated, transforming into ashes and revealing nothing but the blackness of space. Mario's body emerged from the darkness in front of Kirby, Exor still trapped inside.

"Think this is over yet!?" Exor sneered. "You may be strong but think again!" Mario's body then suddenly formed the barrier that all of the other puppet Spirits had before, his arms spread apart as the six wings surrounding Galeem were present. Kirby's body looked around, seeing Shadow Bugs emerge from huge vortexes and surround them, engulfing everything. The golden gun with rainbow flames suddenly appeared in Kirby's small arms, and Mario took control of the pink puffball's body as he pointed the weapon at his own body.

"Time to get myself back into the real world," Mario's voice spoke out from Kirby, the red plumber's Fighter Spirit funneling himself into the gun. With a press of the trigger, Kirby sniped the puppet fighter, using Mario's Spirit as ammunition. With a mighty blast, Mario's Spirit was reunited with his body, and Exor was knocked out. As soon as the barrier disappeared and white light emerged from where there was once the red plumber, the Legendary Master Spirit Exor felt himself become drawn into Kirby's pink body.

"Oh, no," Exor cried, noticing the six wings that surrounded the barrier were now glass-like shards swirling around him. "The Lock is broken on this fighter, and Galeem's gonna be so pissed when he find out!" The sword-like Spirit then went into Kirby's body, and with him were the shards. Kirby's eyes then started glowing white, blinding the area he was trapped in.

Kirby slowly woke up again, noticing something was different about him. As he looked at his body, he noticed he had glowing golden irises and a rainbow aura covering his body. On his forehead, Kirby felt a strange, spherical gemstone in the shape of the Smash Ball, swirling in multiple colors and shown to have a black cross off-center. The pink puffball suddenly remembered this was the exact same situation when Sonic was having these visions, but something was different about the place. For one, the world around him was different… like VERY different. The sky was gleaming crystal blue with clouds in all sorts of colors, and the grass had more of a vegetation-like texture. Hills and mountains were smoothed out, and there were all sorts of weirdly-shaped trees, each one in all sorts of the rainbow spectrum too. Strange flowers bloomed all around him, and the sounds of waterfalls and singing birds filled the fresh, clean air. Before the pink puffball could figure out anything else about the strange environment, deep roaring and a fast gush of wind emerged from up above behind him.

Scaring the living hell out of Kirby so much was some sort of enormous dragon, its silver wings twice as long as its torso. Kirby, now shaking, looked up to see the aluminum-coated dragon fly off into the sky towards the mountains. The pink puffball, not losing sight of it, followed the dragon to a nearby cave. Catching his breath, Kirby peeked out from the entrance to see the aluminum-coated dragon, his silver horns and glittering spikes, placing some sort of mushed-up meal of fishes and meat in a wooden bowl in front of what appeared to be his mate. The aluminum-coated dragon's wife's scales were patterned to be tropical in color, and she looked down next to her three unique eggs.

"It's almost time, Metallio," the female dragon spoke lovingly. "Almost time for our children to breath their first breath of Arcus' air…" The three eggs were each colored differently, and they were starting to shake. The first egg was coated in fiery red with black splotches, the second one was a pure white with orange-and-blue glitter like the cosmos, and the third was coated black, with the rainbow design imprinted on it like a folded angel's wing.

"Here comes one now, Toropikaru," Metallio answered, the two dragons watching as the fiery-red egg was the first one to hatch. Kirby carefully snuck into the cave, trying to catch a good glimpse on the three newborn dragons. Emerging from the first egg was a black-coated dragon, his flaming wings stretching out like a phoenix, and that gesture is what his parents decided to call him.

"Welcome to the planet of Arcus, little Phoenix," Metallio spoke, stretching his silver wing to cradle the baby dragon. The second egg coated in white cracked open as a tiny, white dragon crawled out of his shell. When he unfurled his two large wings, they were chaotically colored of deep-space blue and flaming-star orange.

"Hello there, Galeem," Toropikaru spoke, nuzzling her face into the newborn. When Kirby heard the dragon call one of her children Galeem, he became angry enough to run towards the infant. However, when the pink puffball was about to attack, he simply passed through the dragons like a ghost. Kirby was frightened that he can't interact with these beasts, so all he could do was sit and watch. The last egg started rumbling, and the egg shells started flying out in all directions that the parents had to shield themselves and the newborns from the scattered pieces. Crawling out of the black, rainbow-coated egg was a tiny black-coated dragon, her spikes and claws flashing gray and her wings unfolded to reveal the most beautiful rainbow spectrum anyone had ever seen. Both Metallio and Toropikaru leaned their heads in to greet the last one to arrive in their family.

"Boy, she's tough for a newborn," Metallio chuckled as he felt the baby dragon attempt to claw his face with her pillow-soft talons. Toropikaru then nuzzled the baby dragon gently, rubbing her muzzle against the black-scaled infant.

"This one is special," Toropikaru sighed as their baby daughter growled with a tiny snarl. "One might even say she's the center of her own universe. She may not act like it now, but she is destined for something greater, which is why we named her… Ultima." The tropical-coated dragon's husband then sat down next to her, admiring the three adorable children they brought together. Rubbing his cuddly face, Kirby did not understand what was going on, the Smash Ball on his forehead pulsing brighter. Just then, Kirby saw that the environment was glowing brighter in white, and the pink puffball was determined to know more before he simply vanished.

Kirby was slowly trying to open his eyes, unaware of what happened. When the pink puffball adjusted his vision, he saw Piranha Plant and Faker, both of them outside of their golden cages. Groaning while sitting up, Kirby rubbed his head to find out they were on the same pathway as before, in the grassy field and all. However, the sky was getting darker as the sun in the forest was setting. The Tyrannosaurus Rex was gone, theorizing that it presumably walked away after time passed by.

"After you defeated the puppet fighter we came across, you freed us from the cages we were stuck in," Faker said, the Piranha Plant helping Kirby up.

"If you're wondering what happened to Mario, well…" Faker continued, pointing down on the ground next to where Kirby was laying. There, fully unconscious, was Mario's body. Kirby, alarmed, ran towards the rescued fighter, hugging the red plumber tight. Just then, an incoming transmission rang on Faker's device. The brown-skinned warrior pressed the button once, and E. Gadd was speaking through this time.

"What happened?" E. Gadd asked. "Did you manage to rescue someone?"

"We sure did," Faker answered.

"Good!" E. Gadd spoke. "We'll be transporting you three and your special guest up here shortly. We'll be planting that beacon here for your next visit." Kirby then took off his device off his nonexistent shoulder, tying his and Mario's wrists together with the gadget. The three adventurers, including Mario, were just then fading into blue before being whisked away straight high back onto the Undying Light, leaving the beacon behind.

As dawn came straight from the mountains, the rays of sunlight hit Mario's face. The red plumber slowly got up, rubbing his face. His eyes were not glowing red anymore, and they were back to their usual blue color.

"Mamma mia… what happened…?" Mario moaned, sitting up. As he looked around, he noticed he was in one of the many beds in a strange room, and in front of him was the poster Kirby drew before, with the whole gang back together again. Just then, Mario heard a knock on the room's door.

"Hello?" a voice asked. "Is it fine if I come in?"

"Sure," Mario answered, unaware of the environment he was in. The door opened, and Faker walked in, the black-haired, brown-skinned warrior in her pajamas.

"I was learning how to make breakfast," Faker said, holding a tray with a plate in her hands. "My work's still a little sloppy, but I hope you enjoy." She placed the tray on Mario's lap, and in the plate was a half-burned mess of what was hard to figure out but was apparently eggs and bacon.

"Uh… thanks-a," Mario replied, taking a fork and knife in his hands. Placing a piece of the breakfast meal in his mouth, Mario began quietly chewing the meal with his lips closed. The texture really left something on Mario's taste buds alright, but it was not delicious. After Mario spat out the food in his mouth, he wiped his lips and tongue, trying to get the awful taste out of his mouth.

"Told you I wasn't a great cook," Faker nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.

"No, it's alright," Mario answered, pushing the meal in front of him. "You at least get credit for trying." Walking into the room behind Faker was the Piranha Plant and Kirby, both relieved to see Mario back in his old self again.

"Mario!" Kirby cheered, hugging the red plumber.

"Nice-a to see you again, Kirby," Mario replied, returning the hug. "I knew you could-a do it…" Just then, Mario noticed the Piranha Plant next to Faker, curious on how a generic enemy like that snuck on board.

"A Piranha Plant?" Mario asked, breaking the hug between him and Kirby. "What's a Piranha Plant doing here?" Faker noticed the carnivorous flower next to her, and she turned her attention to Mario.

"Well, it's a long story," Faker answered. "We were still learning so much about this world, and we don't know everything we need to know. We're hoping you could help us, since you were under Galeem's control…" Mario looked down, straightening his red cap and blue overalls.

"Show me around the base we're all at," Mario said, getting up from the bed. "I want to-a learn about where you're hiding from Galeem, and in return I can give you all I know about the Seraph of Order, as well as what he is doing with the other fighters."

"When the rest of our friends and I were separated from our bodies," Mario explained, walking with Kirby and Piranha Plant around the ship and getting acquainted with the crew, "we managed to catch a glimpse of what Galeem managed to do. The Mii Fighters and the Subspace Army were enslaved after Tabuu's capture. It didn't really matter who or what kind of Spirit Galeem grabbed, he forced all of them to take full control of the petrified Mii Fighters."

"And were the Skylanders part of the Spirits?" Flynn asked, piloting the ship from above.

"Yes… some Skylanders were even part of the captured Spirits," Mario answered, knowing the question had nothing to do with the situation. The red plumber then turned towards Kirby and Piranha Plant.

"Anyway," Mario continued, "he took our own bodies, transformed into trophies and tied up, and he poured some sort of mysterious golden liquid onto us. It's not clear exactly what, even though we theorized it must've been melted Shadow Bugs, but he managed to clone at least eight puppet fighters from us. Galeem then forced the Spirits, both Normal and Master, to take control of these stone-cold warriors. They are known as the Supporters. As for the trophies they originated from, the Master Legendary Spirits went into them. To ensure no one would ever rescue them naturally without a fight to the death, he used the Smash Balls that were hidden inside our Fighter Spirits and created the Galeem Lock. Now that the Master Legendary Spirits are permanently fused to the warriors they chose, they would do anything for Galeem's bidding. They're known as the False Warriors, or Primaries. Whenever you defeat a Primary, the shards from the Galeem Lock fly into you and give you special warnings before fusing with its chosen Fighter Spirit again, waiting for its chance to wake up..."

"And what about the rest of us?" Saki asked, the glowing-green warrior cleaning his gun.

"You all may be hiding for now, but sooner or later Galeem's going to find us," Mario answered. "The Primaries and their Supporters are Galeem's eyes, so the seraph can see our every move. People left and right are transported to this planet without their physical forms, taken captive from Galeem's forces and bosses to power more petrified vessels of Mii Fighters. Now there are hardly anyone free from that monster…" Kirby placed his stubby hand on Mario's shoulder, looking at the red plumber with a determined face.

"I'm at least-a glad you're okay," Mario said, rubbing Kirby's head as he knelt down. "The stone given to you by your woman friend… it may be holding some extraordinary powers. Therefore, whenever you used that signature Inhale move on the opponent you're facing, the Copy Ability that you take from said enemy is actually one of the Fighter Spirits based off that enemy. After you inhale a Primary, the Fighter Spirits take over your mind and do the rest of the fighting. You may have seen flashes of our long-forgotten memories, right?" Kirby nodded, rubbing his cheek.

"That gemstone is-a linking our souls into one, allowing us to share all of our memories, so I see yours and you see mine, even if we forget what our own memories even looked like," Mario kept explaining. "You may have seen something else after you reunited my Spirit with my body, right? Somehow, those flashes from the Galeem Lock shards and that strange stone are linking their powers to tell you something." Aware of what Mario was talking about, Kirby nodded, the Piranha Plant trying to understand everything the red plumber said. Mario then got up, straightening his cap.

"Show me," Mario said. Running back and forth to the room with several beds, Kirby grabbed a sheet of paper and coloring crayons, scribbling what he pictured after saving Mario. A minute or two passed, and the pink puffball presented to the red plumber what he drew. When Mario took the picture, he noticed it was like a children's drawing, but it was mainly two dragons in a cave – one silver-coated dragon named Metallio, and another with a tropical-themed armor called Toropikaru. In the nest they were laying down on, there were three, multi-colored eggs present, and the three baby dragons from before labeled by the names Kirby could remember: Phoenix, Galeem, and Ultima. Before Mario was about to say anything else, Sticks the Jungle Badger slid down the ladder to the ship's cockpit.

"Trouble with the beacon," Sticks said. "It's not visible on our map! You three better get down there at once! Meet us up at the deck. At least be grateful we're above where you last left it." The glowing-green Spirit then climbed back to the cockpit. Kirby and Piranha Plant looked at Mario, ready to go. Shortly after, the three fighters ran up to the deck, leaving Faker behind. The brown-skinned woman, now in her dragon-armor uniform, looked at the hand-drawn picture Kirby dropped, studying it after picking it up. Since she had no idea what it was, Faker did not know how to reply as she looked up the ladder, seeing Mario, Piranha Plant, and Kirby run through the cockpit to outside the deck.


	31. Pt 31: Stuck on a Planet

Mario, Kirby, and Piranha Plant marched out onto the Undying Light's deck, greeted by the Great Sage. The elderly Mii gave the three fighters the watch-like devices and fold-up gliders.

"When you already have the devices on your wrists, just remember one press is communication, two presses is alert, and three presses is transportation back to the ship," the Great Sage addressed. "Good luck fixing that beacon." Once the drop-off plank pulled out from the side of the ship and the Great Sage walked away, the three fighters walked onto the rim, looking down upon the grassy field they were at a while ago.

"Are you-a sure you want-a to do this, Kirby?" Mario asked, scared of the height he and the other two warriors were about to fall down through. "I really don't think this-a -woah! " Before Mario could finish, the Piranha Plant pushed the red plumber off the plank, watching Mario falling in fright for a moment. Kirby merely looked at Piranha Plant with a slightly pissed-off face, jumping off the wooden plank with the carnivorous flower. The three were now diving from beyond the clouds, and Mario knew this was ridiculous especially from this distance from the ground.

"Poyo-poyo!" Kirby yelled to Mario, pointing at the fold-up glider in his stubby pink hands.

"What!?" Mario asked as loud as he could. "Don't try talking to me! I can't understand your language!" Shaking his head, Kirby tilted his soft, round body towards the ground along with Piranha Plant. When the three adventurers were only feet away from the ground, Kirby pulled out his glider, and so did Piranha Plant. After Mario saw what was going on, he grabbed the handles of his glider, he jerked up when it unfolded, catching the gust of wind in its fabric. The three fighters then watched as they slowly descended towards the ground, landing on the grassy field next to the gateway of the ruins. Waiting right for Mario, Kirby, and Piranha Plant was nothing more than a Supporter Jigglypuff, the Pokémon wearing a red bowtie on the back of her head, her irises glowing red with glee as in her stubby, light-pink hands was the metal ball that created the beacon.

"We must've missed this one," Magnus spoke over the transmitter in each of the fighter's gadgets. "Careful guys." Just when Mario and Piranha Plant started running towards the Supporter Jigglypuff, Kirby got a head-start, confident to get that beacon back. Before the other two warriors could reach up to the Supporter, Kirby grabbed the False Jigglypuff and tossed her high into the air. The ground began rumbling under Kirby and False Jigglypuff, emerging out of the ground and creating an invisible UV sphere, trapping Mario and Piranha Plant outside.

The stage the two puffballs were on shifted into a wooden, log-like battlefield, revealing two platforms moving to and from the center of the stage in opposite directions. The UV Sphere created some sort of cylinder-shaped landscape, dotted with houses, tree, and rivers, transforming into the infamous Smashville. The False Jigglypuff Supporter floated towards Kirby, about to use her Rest move. However, Kirby managed to dodge out of the way in time, and the Pokémon fell asleep for a short while. Her devastating move didn't hit, and it left her open for a powerful dash attack.

Kirby ran right into the Supporter Jigglypuff, setting himself on flames and whacking the puppet warrior off the stage. However, she managed to float back onto the stage, running at Kirby again. This was going to be easy, Kirby thought. All the young Star Warrior had to do was dodge the Supporter Jigglypuff's Rest move and counter-attack. No matter how fast the bow-tie Jigglypuff ran, she could not keep up with Kirby's fluid reactions. Eventually, since her only game plan was using Rest, Kirby waited until she was open and finished with a devastating kick, sending the puppet fighter into the blast zone of the UV sphere. The barrier disappeared, and so did the Smashville stage, and Piranha Plant and Mario watched as Kirby was frozen in the air, pointing that rainbow-fiery golden gun at a barrier. Inside was the bow-tie Jigglypuff, disintegrating into Shadow Bugs and revealing the true Spirit controlling the puppet Pokémon: a glowing-green Celeste.

"That's right, Piranha Plant," Mario told the carnivorous flower, looking at Kirby ready to fire. "After anyone wins a battle against a puppet fighter, the defeated Spirits and their vessels pull out a barrier constantly spinning, revealing only a tiny hole for a perfect snipe. Once Kirby fires the Spirit Sniper, he'll either absorb the rescued Spirit into the gemstone inside his body or hit the barrier, forcing him to fight again. No matter what, only one way to find out." Kirby heard what Mario was talking about, carefully aiming the Spirit Sniper at the tiny hole in the barrier, trying to stay targeted once it moved again. After a careful press of the trigger, Kirby sniped the glowing-green Celeste. The Normal Advanced Spirit freed both herself and Kirby, flying into the pink puffball's body once absorbed. The Spirit Sniper vanished again, and Kirby dropped onto the dirt path in the grassy field again. Mario ran towards Kirby, trying to keep the young Star Warrior steady. The beacon in the puppet warrior's clutches was dropped, disappearing back into the watch-like devices of the real fighters.

"You're-a okay," Mario sighed, rubbing Kirby's head. "Sooner or-a later, you'll get used to this. You'll get used to rescuing Spirits and having Fighter Spirits take over your body. I know you've fought god-like beings and literal gods in your time, especially for someone your age. Let's-a go now. We're still walking on the path to the ruins. Might as well go there." Kirby nodded, taking Mario and Piranha Plant with him to the ruins.

At the ruins, markings that seemed ancient spiraled all the way to the center. Stone pillars stuck out of the ground, eroding away in time. Mario, Kirby, and Piranha Plant looked at the darkening sky, painted with the dusk of the setting sun. While the three fighters traveled through the rocky desolation, Mario was pretty interested in Piranha Plant. The red plumber turned towards Kirby, the pink puffball looking at him in return.

"Kirby?" Mario asked. "Just to clear things up a bit, how come there's a Piranha Plant on our side? He looks and behaves like a fighter, but none of us had ever seen him appear in our group after Galeem's attack. Did you just find him wounded after some sort of brutal fight against a monster?" Kirby rubbed his head, wondering how that Piranha Plant survived Galeem's blast. Those beams spread across the multiverse, engulfing planets and robbing both innocent and evil residents of their physical forms. Galeem does give the Spirits their bodies back, but only if they promise to serve him for all eternity. The carnivorous flower was not present in the army of captured fighters. Somehow, that Piranha Plant found a way to avoid the attack unlike his brethren.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed. The pink puffball was pointing his stubby arm at some sort of figure in the center of the ruins. Mario and Piranha Plant noticed it too, and it was a tall, hairy figure. It was none other than the Werewolf from the world the Belmonts came from. The three fighters were ready to fight the lycanthrope, but the Werewolf began crawling on all fours, running to the top of a nearby pillar.

"I do not want to fight you stringy morsels," the Werewolf spoke. The three travelers were confused by a lycanthrope talking in such a strong accent, especially when they clearly knew that werewolves themselves can't speak after they have transformed.

"Lord Galeem cursed me, keeping me in my animal self while giving me the ability to communicate with those that speak the common language," the Werewolf continued. "However, as much as he forces me to, I dare would not lay a hand on any of you."

"Then you would be considered a traitor," Mario objected. "Galeem might strip you of your physical form again, or even worse kill you without your conscious to save you."

"I am aware of the actions Galeem will take," the Werewolf spoke, scratching his thick coat of his fleas with his hind leg. "Like you brave souls, I too desire a chance to return to the real world."

"So, you're not-a going to attack us?" Mario asked, lowering his fists and relaxing. Kirby and Piranha Plant noticed that they were communicating with the Werewolf as a guide, so they decided to calm down to listen to what the Werewolf was saying.

"Only when I am hungry," the Werewolf said. "I already had a filling meal, so you have no need to worry. To clear things up a bit, you know that Galeem's servants are spreading across his kingdom. Your friends are not just on Gallia's surface. Some are even located in the depths of space and other planets hidden within galaxies. Galeem receives precious information about whatever they see. Which is why I have no time to waste. Be careful once you journey across these ruins. You will have to face the guardian of the Ancients, forcing you to avoid his deadly lasers and defeat him in order to advance."

"That's it?" Mario asked, looking at Piranha Plant and Kirby. "That sounds-a easy…"

"It sure sounds like it," the Werewolf spoke. "However, once you pass through the guardian, there are three paths for you to take, and each one is protected by your captured friends: the Hero-King, the Illusive Sheikah, and the Mayor of Smashville." Kirby, shocked, tugged on Mario's side, knowing about three of their friends.

"They're Marth, Sheik, and Villager!" Mario answered. "We have to rescue them as fast as we could!" Piranha Plant snarled, nodding with determination.

"I would not rush to them, if I were you," the Werewolf objected, perching on the stone pillar. "You see, after you head to the three alternate pathways, you only have one fighter to choose from. Once you have made your decision, the other two will close off the pathways with help from a Master Hand, forcing you to keep going until you have cleared the path you have chosen." Mario looked down on the ground, knowing there was a decision he and his friends would have to take.

"At least consider yourself lucky," the Werewolf finished. "I will always be following you, hidden from Galeem's spies, giving you advice on the secrets of the multiverse when you most need it. Until we meet again…" With a mighty howl as the sun disappeared behind the land, the Werewolf jumped off the stone pillar he was on, running off into the distance from the ruins.

"You heard the lycanthrope," Mario told Kirby and Piranha Plant. "We need to be-a careful with our choices. Besides, we might find more of our friends once we travel down our locked pathway…" The three travelers then heard the beeping of Mario's watch-like device. With a press of the button, Mario heard Sticks' voice coming from the gadget.

"Did you fix that beacon?" Sticks asked.

"There was an enemy holding it hostage," Mario answered. "Kirby managed to get it back it, however. Hey, is it true that there are three pathways for us to choose once we defeat some sort of guardian?"

"Don't know," Sticks answered. "This is something you'll have to discover for yourself while we map this whole world. We were going to transport you back to the Undying Light, but apparently Flynn spilled some hot soup on the shiny doohickey that beams you up while upgrading it with E. Gadd's help."

"Mamma mia," Mario tiredly sighed. "The worst time imaginable has to be that Mabu pilot from the Skylands not able to finish his supper in time…"

"Looks like you're going to have to camp down on the planet for now until we fix it… let's say about a week or two max," Sticks continued. "We'll tell you the upgrades once we dry that bad baby up, okay?"

"Okay," Mario answered, ending the transmission. The red plumber then looked at Kirby and Piranha Plant, shaking his head.

"Bad news, guys, in case you haven't-a heard," Mario said. "Transporter's busted, so we'll be staying on the planet for a while. Do you mind gathering resources?" Time had passed, and the three fighters set up a small campfire set ablaze thanks to Mario's unique ability. Kirby, exhausted, was trying to keep warm in the middle of the night, as he shivered and hugged himself. The Piranha Plant managed to gather a large clump of wild berries all gathered onto a giant leaf as he sat down and passed some to the red plumber. While Mario was popping a handful of strawberries and blue raspberries into his mouth, he noticed the pink puffball looking depressed. The red plumber scooted forward next to Kirby.

"You cold-a?" Mario asked, noticing the shivering puffball. The red plumber then handed Kirby whatever berries remained in his hand, and there was plenty.

"Eat up," Mario recommended. "They may not be delicacies, but their energy will keep you bundled up for the night." Kirby then ate Mario's hand with the berries in one bite, engulfing the red plumber's front half of his arm. Mario quickly managed to slip his hand out of the pink puffball, noticing the saliva now dripping from his arm explained Kirby's usual appetite. The red plumber then set his hand on fire, instantly drying his arm while shaking off the mist. Afterwards, Mario turned back to Kirby.

"It's alright," Mario said, knowing Kirby's loneliness in his black-and-blue eyes. "I know about your isolation, and I miss them too. You got me back, so that means we'll get them back. I guess only time will tell for sure…" Kirby looked at Mario with tears in his eyes, and the pink puffball hugged the red plumber, sobbing gently into his lap. As the stars twinkled above in a blanket, Mario watched the Piranha Plant drift off to sleep in his flower pot. It wasn't long before the red plumber and the pink puffball dozed off next to the fire in the darkness of the ruins.


	32. Pt 32: The Three-Way Path

Morning arrived on the land, with the first light of dawn shining on three legendary fighters fast asleep next to a dying campfire now crumbling into ashes. The Piranha Plant managed to stay up through most of the night, keeping watch over the team. Mario slowly opened his eyes, feeling his head snuggle into Kirby's soft body. The red plumber sat up, rubbing Kirby's soft body.

"Wake up, sleepy-head," Mario sighed. Kirby hopped up, rubbing his big eyes. The three fighters managed to sleep all throughout the night, without a single monster attacking them. Just then, Piranha Plant started picking up something deep within the ruins. The carnivorous flower heard robotic noises, followed with exploding and crumbling stones. Kirby and Mario heard it too, and whatever it was sounded enormous.

"Come on, guys!" Mario told Piranha Plant and Kirby. The three adventurers then traveled down the path through the ruins, noticing the noise getting closer and closer the faster they walked. Eventually, Mario, Kirby, and Piranha Plant looked down from above a desolated pillar to find the cause of the noises: a giant pink R.O.B. blasting lasers, no matter how weak they were due to charging time. The puppet fighter glared at the three warriors with glowing red eyes, watching as Mario, Piranha Plant, and Kirby walked up to the robotic creature.

Before the three adventurers could react, the ground underneath them rumbled. A flat stage then shot out of the ruins' ground, creating another UV sphere around itself. The stage twisted and formed into some sort of ancient technology, and the background changed into what looked like Hyrule Field, though everything was mostly wildlife dotted with existing civilizations, and the Hyrule Castle far off in the distance was left in shambles as darkness barricaded the royal walls. It was the Final Destination version of the Great Plateau Tower. Piranha Plant, Kirby, and Mario looked at the giant R.O.B. Supporter they were facing, watching as it merely stood its ground and began firing lasers.

The fight was rather simple: avoid the lasers and attack the puppet fighter. As Mario was jumping into the air, watching out for the beams the R.O.B. Supporter was shooting, he began taking out his golden cape, flipping the lasers back at the puppet fighter. As the giant pink R.O.B. was quickly getting up, Kirby and the Piranha Plant ran towards the puppet, punching and kicking from behind. The R.O.B. puppet was still shooting lasers at the trio, trying its best to catch up with them. Eventually, the three fighters began wailing on the giant R.O.B. with projectiles while staying at a safe distance: Mario with his fireballs and golden cape, the Piranha Plant with his ability to blow spiked balls at the robot, and Kirby with his Inhale move, spitting them out in the form of powerful stars. With one last hit, Mario used a basketball dunk on the giant pink R.O.B., knocking the puppet fighter out. The stage crumbled down beneath the victorious adventurers, and the UV sphere vanished.

Once Kirby and Piranha Plant felt themselves on the ground again, they saw Mario suspended in the air, pointing the Spirit Sniper at the giant pink R.O.B., who disintegrated into Shadow Bugs. As the puppet fighter vanished into thin air, all that remained was a glowing-green, Normal Advanced Guardian, the kind found in the mythical land of Hyrule that worked for the entity known as Calamity Ganon, heavily based on the technology founded by the Sheikah. The barrier formed around the Normal Spirit like before, and Mario pulled the trigger on the Spirit Sniper, hitting the Guardian and freeing the Spirit. Once Mario dropped onto the ground, the Spirit Sniper vanishing like always, the Guardian floated right into the gemstone suspended in Kirby's body, causing the pink puffball to jump up in confusion.

"We can do this, like I said before," Mario told Kirby. "Just keep yourself brave, okay?" Kirby looked at Mario, a tiny bead of sweat rolling down his pink face. The Piranha Plant then started growling again, sensing something down the path. As soon as the carnivorous flower broke up from Mario and Kirby, the other two fighters started following him to where the pathways split. The area was a mystical pyramid, creating three forks in the road. The distance was big, but the three paths the warriors were forced to decide upon were clearly shown. On the path to their left, Marth's possessed body waited. To the right, the Villager was seen looking for a challenger. At the middle path, Sheik was there. Both Kirby and Piranha Plant looked at Mario, wondering how they were going to do this.

"Don't expect me to-a know everything," Mario said. "The Werewolf back there said if we choose one path, the other two will close off, forcing us to stay one the path we have chosen until we complete it…" Kirby and Piranha Plant started thinking about it, wondering what to do. Afterwards, the pink puffball looked at Mario with a brave face.

"Let me-a guess…" Mario sighed. "We're going to have to split up. Three paths, three fighters. Call it even if you will." Kirby nodded as his final answer. Mario, Kirby, and the Piranha Plant walked off to where the path split up. The three warriors then looked at each other, knowing the risk they were about to take.

"I know we just-a met and yet… I'm really going to miss you guys…" Mario sighed, adjusting his cap. Kirby and Piranha Plant hugged the red plumber, knowing they must part ways again for this one mission. The trio broke the group hug and looked at each other, walking down the paths they have chosen. Mario went towards where Marth waited, the Piranha Plant to Sheik, and Kirby to Villager. The three fighters knew they wouldn't be together after a long while, knowing the decision they made.

Mario walked towards his old friend Marth, noticing the glowing-red eyes the Hero-King sported. The image of the Master Legendary Spirit possessing Marth showed the humanoid form of the warlord Duma. For Piranha Plant, the carnivorous flower looked at Sheik walking closer to him, her glowing-red eyes gleaming brighter. In a brief flash of an image, the Master Legendary Spirit that was revealed was shown to have been the combined version of Kotake and Koume: Twinrova. Far off into the left, Kirby carefully approached the Villager, noticing the Mayor of Smashville looking at him with the glowing-red eyes. Through a single flash, the pink puffball quickly figured out the Master Legendary Spirit that was possessing Villager turned out to be one of the god-like beings he faced on his home planet Popstar: Magolor.

"Looks like the fat idiot decided to show up at last," Duma's voice spoke out of Marth. "Tell me, what took you so long as to split up with your gang?" Mario looked at the Primary Fighter with an aggressive face, setting his white-gloved hands on fire.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Twinrova asked the Piranha Plant through Sheik's body. "All of the greatest warriors in the multiverse, and only a plant comes and faces me…"

"I haven't seen you in a long while, Kirby," Magolor said inside Villager's body. "Tell me… how's my friend Marx doing when he's not suspended in the depths of space, floating around in the Comet Nova's rubble?" Kirby pulled up his stubby pink fists, putting on his war face.

"Now that you're here…" Duma in Marth's body spoke.

"…and you're all alone…" Twinrova in Sheik's body continued.

"…it looks like the two of us will be having so much fun together." Magolor in Villager's body finished while cackling. For the three fighters against each of Galeem's Primaries, vortexes surrounded the possessed fighters, and each opponent was taken to different areas of the Final Destination.

Mario walked towards the possessed Marth, watching as the Primary Fighter shifted parts of the Hero-King's body into what he was before. A light-green ponytail long and ragged shot out of Marth's blue hair, elf-like ears pointed out from the sides, dragon claws stuck out from the Hero-King's gloved hands, and Marth's eyes were entirely red now. Pulling out the Falchion, Duma inside Marth's body rushed towards Mario, slashing with such grace and accuracy.

In another part of the Final Destination, Twinrova inside Sheik's body saw Piranha Plant licking his lips, letting his head slowly shift into multiple colors as he was going to release some sort of unpredictable attack afterwards. The possessed Sheikah sprouted a large gem on her head, with the right side of her body red and the left side blue. Like before, Sheik's eyes were fully red now, and two streams of fire and ice grew out from the back of her head. Twinrova inside Sheik's body pulled out several needles, twisting her neck so she could pop the bones in her spine.

Kirby pulled up his stubby pink fists, facing against Magolor inside Villager's body in a different area of the Final Destination. As the Primary Fighter pulled out a wood-cutting axe, the possessed warrior's entire eyes started glowing red, flinching rapidly. A strange golden crown appeared on the puppet fighter's head, with some sort of white bandana covering his mouth. His arms vanished and his arms became detached thanks to moon-shaped auras, and misty red magic started gleaming through the transformed Villager's hands.

With a fire-like blast, Duma inside Marth's body unleashed a devastating laser at Mario, only to find out about the red plumber jumping over him and kicking the Primary from behind. The possessed Hero-King quickly jumped up from the ground, charging up his Shield Breaker move. Mario managed to dodge the thrusting tipper in time, watching Marth's Falchion create a small scratch in his overalls. Pissed off, Mario set his hands ablaze, launching a series of fireballs at Duma inside Marth's body. The Primary warrior tried avoiding the fiery attacks, but he only managed to dodge only a few fireballs. The rest of them scarred his skin with nasty burns, and Marth's glowing-red eyes met with Mario's boot.

Mario kicked Marth right in the head, sending the Hero-King close to the edge of the Final Destination platform. The red plumber started pulling out his F.L.U.D.D. device on his back, heating up the water inside to a boiling temperature with his fiery powers. Mario watched Duma still inside Marth's body, crawling up in a dragon's posture, wiping the blood leaking from his glowing-red eyes as he snarled, the Hero-King's Falchion in his hand. Mario then pumped out boiling-hot water from the F.L.U.D.D. device, soaking the Primary warrior in scalding pain. Afterwards, Mario set his fists ablaze once more, unleashing a fiery punch and knocking Duma in Marth's body off the stage into the blast zone of the Final Destination before everything went dark all of a sudden.

In another part of the Final Destination stage, Piranha Plant started mauling and biting at the Primary he was going up against: Twinrova inside Sheik. When the possessed Sheikah started throwing needles at the carnivorous flower, they quickly transformed into arrows of fire and ice, traveling at a sharp and fast distance. The Piranha Plant jumped and dodged, holding on tight to his flower pot with his two big leaves. Once the storm of fire-and-ice needles was over, the carnivorous flower noticed pieces of his green body were cut off and burning. Just when Sheik's body was about to kick him, Piranha Plant grabbed ahold of her leg with his white-lipped mouth, biting deep with his sharp teeth. While Twinrova inside Sheik's body was slashing at the carnivorous flower rapidly with fiery and icy knives, Piranha Plant still kept on holding on to his bite, his teeth sinking deeper into her skin and cracking her leg bone.

The Piranha Plant then spat the Primary warrior out, poisonous saliva at the teeth marks mixing in with her darkened blood. Once Twinrova still inside Sheik's body quickly got up, she clenched on to her leg in pain, her glowing-red eyes flashing at Piranha Plant. The carnivorous flower then blew a large gust of wind, launching a spiked ball at Sheik. Landing on her flat chest, the spiked ball launched the Primary warrior off the stage. As soon as she was about to recover with her Abyss move, the Piranha Plant jumped off and slammed downward with his flower pot, knocking the possessed Sheik out. Like with Mario, the Final Destination stage vanished in black instantly. All that remained in one more part of the Final Destination was Kirby against Magolor inside Villager.

"Now it's just you and me, puffball," Magolor teased, violet flames coming out of the Villager's floating hands and his glowing-red eyes becoming brighter. Kirby ran towards the Primary warrior, knowing he had faced godlike-beings and literal gods before even though he could not remember who and why. This time was a little bit different, especially coming from a possessed fighter. Magolor used all of the original abilities he had before when he had his own body, except it was all in Villager. Kirby began hopping up into the air, kicking with his large red feet once Magolor generated three shadow-coated balls above him from Villager's floating hands. He floated out of the way after launching them at Kirby. Thankfully the pink puffball was able to inhale all three in time before jumping and spitting out the shadow-coated balls in the form of a star cluster. Kirby managed to time the spit and hit Villager's body, but Magolor teleported back onto the stage, pulling out a fruit-coated tree out of nowhere and a chopping axe.

After Magolor chopped down the tree with Villager's body, Kirby managed to grab onto the tree in time, swinging it by the trunk with brute force despite his simple stature and strength. The deciduous branches hit the Primary warrior, causing Magolor inside Villager to float into the air again. He then created paint-coated pillars from the Final Destination stage, and Kirby did not manage to react in time as he felt himself impaled and launched high into the air to meet the possessed Villager's burning fist. Just as Kirby was about to give up, he suddenly remembered what happened during that encounter with Mario when he was under the Galeem Lock, and the pink puffball quickly inhaled to gain Villager's Copy Ability. Magolor still inside Villager was sucked in, and the moment he landed a blow with his fist, it was too late for him. The Primary warrior was quickly drawn into Kirby and launched out a second later from the pink puffball's body. As soon as Magolor knew what happened, he saw Kirby's eyes flash the Smash Ball gleam from before, and a wig of brown hair from the Villager appeared on Kirby's head. Villager's Fighter Spirit took over Kirby's body thanks to Faker's stone, and now the young Smashville mayor was ready to fight in the body of a Star Warrior.

Magolor floated into the air again, throwing shadow-coated ball after shadow-coated ball. Luckily, Villager inside Kirby began pocketing the projectiles, throwing them out one at a time at the Primary warrior's body. Magolor suddenly noticed he was losing, and the pink demon had a winning chance just like before, but this time a kid that looked like a murderous psychopath was taking control. Magolor, still inside Villager's body, kept blasting powerful electrical explosives at Kirby, who was running towards him now, the Villager's wig still intact. With one jump, Kirby's body pulled out a bowling ball and launched it right on top of the controlled Villager, knocking the Primary warrior off the stage. Like what happened after Piranha Plant and Mario won with their rivals, the Final Destination stage crumbled into particles similar to Shadow Bugs, and the sky went dark.

Standing back-to-back, Mario, Kirby, and Piranha Plant were close together, floating in the darkness, noticing Marth, Sheik, and Villager's bodies generating their barriers after defeat. Duma, Twinrova, and Magolor still remained attached to their selected bodies as the barriers with tiny holes kept spinning rapidly. A Spirit Sniper each generated in Mario, Piranha Plant, and Kirby's hands, and they were each pointing at their defeated opponent. The Fighter Spirits of the Primary warriors the trio defeated created ammo for each fighter alongside Kirby, with the Villager's Spirit flowing from the pink demon's body. Taking aim, with the Shadow Bugs closing in, the three fighters fired at the Master Legendary Spirits within their captured friends, each one of them using a perfect shot. Mario and Piranha Plant vanished, and only Kirby remained behind in the dark, the gem inside him taking effect. The shattered Galeem Locks from Marth, Villager, and Sheik flew right into Kirby with the Spirits that took control of the three rescued friends, turning the pink puffball's eyes into a glowing white before exiting out of his body. The area around Kirby brightened, and the landscape transformed again.

Kirby slowly woke up, feeling the Smash Ball on his forehead again and noticing his golden irises and rainbow aura. The pink puffball looked around as he adjusted his eyesight, seeing that he was back in the land of Arcus, though it was somewhat different. A young, golden-coated dragon infant ran right through Kirby's body, playing with his other two friends with a blue rubber ball. Kirby looked around, amazed by what he saw. The pink puffball was in the middle of a large town populated by dragons, and there were many different huts and caves to live in. The city of dragons also seemed to coexist with nature as there were trees and flowers growing within. As Kirby watched the dragons being friendly and peaceful, playing with different animal friends and each other, the pink puffball noticed they were all uniquely different, no matter how similar. Kirby stopped for a brief moment to take a look at a crimson-coated dragon in the middle of the cobblestone street to entertain a small group of dragon infants. His golden-coated wings started glowing with red flames, and with a mighty breath shot an impressive blast into the air. The dragon's breath whizzed up into the air, exploding the sky with multi-colored fireworks, and the sparks drifted down from up above in the form of golden butterflies, disappearing into ashes before they even touched the ground. It was a sight to behold. Kirby then suddenly looked behind himself, and he saw Metallio and Toropikaru with their children, though they seemed to be a little older than when they first hatched but still being as playful and energetic.

"Daddy?" Ultima asked, trying to learn how to fly as she flapped her multi-colored wings. "Where are we going?"

"We're heading to the Dragosmo Solstice," Metallio answered, grabbing and placing his daughter on his back with his mouth.

"We've been talking and planning this for a year now," Toropikaru chuckled, nuzzling into Ultima and making her giggle. "Every ten years, in a coming of age, our Minister arrives from the Sky Temple, giving his word that he has chosen new guardians of Arcus." Ultima's two brothers, Galeem and Phoenix, ran to their parents, anxious and ready to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.

"If there's gonna be a new protector of this planet, it's going to be me!" Galeem spoke, determined as he ran right in front of Toropikaru and Metallio.

"No, it is going to be me," Phoenix objected, playfully rubbing Galeem's face with his front paws.

"Now, now, children," their mother spoke. "Simply being elected as a new guardian isn't going to be enough. You need to be truthful in strength, wisdom, speed, courage, loyalty, forgiveness, and teamwork. It's a lot harder than it sounds, so keep that in mind."

"Your mother does have a point," Metallio spoke, hoisting Ultima off his back with his tail so she could walk on her own. "Any dragon can sign up to be a Dragosmo, but only few can make it. However, defending the planet also comes with the balance between the darkness and the light…"

"Mommy! Daddy! Look! They're starting!" Ultima exclaimed, running to where the Dragosmo Solstice was taking place. On her four legs, the black-coated dragon infant with rainbow-colored wings waited behind the large crowd of dragons for her family to catch up to her. She and her two brothers perched on their mother's head, trying to catch a good glimpse of the big event. There was a humongous tree stump that stretched out twenty feet around, and two white-coated dragons with golden wings walked to the front of the crowd. They were coated in golden armor, grabbing the mouthpieces of their trumpets with their muzzles, blowing into those instruments for a special announcement. Kirby, passing through all those dragons like a ghost, walked to the front of the crowd to climb onto the large stump and see what was going on. The pink puffball watched, seeing seven dragons falling from beyond the clouds, spreading their wings and dancing in the sky. Their colors defined what elements they had for their breath. The red dragon was breathing fire; the orange dragon created a dust cloud of earth and dirt; the yellow dragon zipped through the sky with lightning particles; the green dragon conjured up seeds and spores, exploding into a shower of leaves and flowers; the blue dragon created small storms around itself, dancing around in the wind; the indigo dragon spurted a blast of water into the sky, raining down from above before collecting and absorbing into its wings; the violet dragon flew high into the air, unleashing beautiful blasts like magic. These seven dragons were flying in the form of their solstice dance, coloring the sky in many colors. For their big finish, the seven dragons all flew high into the air, creating a blast of light before flying off in different directions, leaving behind their chosen elements levitating in the air as they glowed bright, leaving the sky in a rainbow-like spectrum.

The crowd of dragons cheered, and Kirby felt amazed by what he saw. The pink puffball looked behind himself, seeing that Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix with their parents were enjoying this a lot. Inside the white blast in the sky, the Dragosmo Minster flew from down below. He had a rather long beard colored light gray as his facial hair, and he sported large, quartz horns. The Minister's armor was lightly tinted with pink, daffodil, and cyan, and his eyes gleamed a deep brown. Once he landed, the two dragons that were blowing the trumpets stepped out of the way.

"All hail Ceresor, Lord of the Arcus Dragons and Balancer of Darkness and Light!" one of the white-coated dragons clad in golden armor spoke. The large crowd of dragons cheered, and Kirby was looking at the elderly beast in awe. Coughing, Ceresor pulled out a scroll from his back with his mouth, unfolding it once he laid it down on the ground and straightened the paper with his front paws.

"Citizens of Arcus," Ceresor spoke in a slightly wheezing voice, reading off the scroll. "It has come to my intention that after years of intense training for my students, I have finally decided who will be joining me in the halls of the Sky Temple, looking down from up above for any sign of danger that would surely throw our world into damnation." The dragons in the large audience cheered, ready to hear who was going to be announced.

"We sure have hit a lucky streak this year," Ceresor continued reading, "considering how hard these new warriors have studied. And the winners this decade are…" A young drummer dragon with tiny lavender wings and baby blue scales fluttered onto the stage, making a drum roll with his two front paws with his sticks. The dragon audience and Kirby were curious on who won this year, and the Dragosmo Minister cleared his throat to announce the new guardians.

"…the Miraculous Seven," Ceresor finished, spreading his quartz-coated wings. With a loud applause from the crowd of dragons, Kirby heard the soaring of the seven dragons that appeared before, flying high into the air and creating another rainbow-colored blast in the sky with their elemental breaths. The seven dragons then landed down onto the stage, standing in front of Ceresor. With a small breath, the Dragosmo Minister created special, dragon-shaped badges for each member of the Miraculous Seven. Each of the new guardians' parents ran onto the stage to greet their children, so proud of them. As the audience cheered for their new protectors, Kirby noticed Metallio and Toropikaru walking away from the Dragosmo Solstice with their three children, and the pink puffball followed them off the stage, still unnoticed by the dragons even though he was in plain sight.

"You should've seen the way they flew through the air with their powers like pew, pew-pew-pew, pew, BOOM!" Galeem laughed, running to his brother and sister.

"And the way they had finished with that blast was… incredible," Phoenix spoke, rubbing Galeem's head with his black-coated paw.

"That was amazing!" Ultima exclaimed with joy, hopping up into the air and fluttering as hard as she could to her parents. Toropikaru and Metallio merely chuckled when they noticed their offspring enjoyed that display and solstice.

"I wanna be a Dragosmo when I grow up," Ultima said to her parents, lying on her father's back on her stomach.

"I don't know, really," Toropikaru objected, throwing the three dragon children into a bit of question. "It's hard work being a guardian of Arcus, and there's this thing trying to balance the darkness and the light…"

"Mommy, please?" Ultima asked beggingly.

"Yeah, what's wrong with being a Dragosmo?" Galeem asked, standing up for his sister.

"Well, mother?" Phoenix asked, agreeing to his siblings.

"Hmmm…" Toropikaru replied, "…maybe ask your father." The two brothers hopped onto their father's back to meet up with Ultima, and Metallio looked at them, chuckling.

"We'll see," Metallio answered. "Maybe when you learn how to fly, you can train to be a Dragosmo." The three little dragons jumped off their father's back, excited.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Galeem laughed, hugging his brother.

"It sure is," Phoenix answered.

"However, just be careful," Metallio warned. "I've had a few close friends who knew about their friends becoming Dragosmos. They've had tales of learning about big responsibilities to take, and they would have to accept reality to deal with their troubles, and they would have to let go of the past to make way for the future..." Phoenix and Galeem did not listen as they kept telling what they would do once they become Dragosmos, perched on Toropikaru's back. Only Ultima paid attention to her father's warning, understanding every word of it at such a young age.

Kirby stood behind the family walking back to their cave, wondering what this could mean. Just then, the Smash Ball on his forehead started glowing again, and the environment around the pink puffball turned white. Things grew dark again for Kirby.

As the pink demon was slowly waking up, he felt the Villager he rescued poke him with a stick. Quickly hopping up as waking from a nightmare, Kirby looked around, noticing Villager's eyes were back to normal and Magolor's was nowhere to be seen inside the Mayor of Smashville. Villager hugged Kirby, happy that he was back and ready to take revenge against the Seraph of Order.

"Poyo-poyo-poyo-po…" Kirby spoke, glad to see Villager again. The pink puffball suddenly remembered something: a warning from the Werewolf about a Master Hand blocking off pathways. Scared, Kirby quickly broke the hug with Villager, running back to the pathway into the ruins. However, his cuddly pink face squished against something invisible. Kirby looked to his right, seeing Piranha Plant with Sheik and Mario with Marth, the two of them split up by something. In front of the six warriors was a Master Hand, laughing with a malicious voice.

"Looks like you're merely just rats caught in a trap," the Master Hand spoke. "It was originally said that whichever fighter you rescue the other two paths will close off, but… seeing as how you broke the rules, you're split from each other again. Good luck trying not to die." Laughing evilly, the Master Hand warped away from the ruins, and the six fighters discovered what was keeping them apart: three invisible barriers blocking their way back into the ruins and to each other.

"We can-a do this, Kirby!" Mario yelled to the pink puffball teamed up with Villager. "All we have to do is keep going. We'll meet up again once we're near the Northern Barrier. Okay?" Kirby nodded, but he suddenly heard his watch-like device beeping. Pressing the red button, the pink demon heard Faker's voice.

"Kirby!" Faker spoke over the transmission, the voice becoming more staticky. "Are you okay? We've heard something happened to you guys! Stay still- wait a minute- you're breaking up- you're not showing up on the map anymore- take care of my gift from me to you, okay Kirby?- #$ !$" The transmission ended in static, cutting off connection between the fighters and the Undying Light. Kirby looked at Villager, scared. The pink puffball then nodded with determination, running off with the Mayor of Smashville. Piranha Plant and Sheik walked off in separate paths too, and Mario traveled with Marth down the road they were now stuck on. Though on different trails cut off from each other, the six warriors all had one goal: to rescue their friends and bring down the threat that destroyed their world.


	33. Pt 33: The Phantom Thief of Hearts

Heading to some sort of chasm, Mario traveled with Marth, who was back to normal, near the edge of the pit, looking down at the sheer blackness from below. The red plumber, worried, turned to his blue-haired comrade.

"You worried?" Marth asked, putting away his Exalted Falchion. Mario nodded, looking at the humongous mushrooms filling the chasm.

"Kirby and that new Piranha Plant friend of his just saved me," Mario answered, sitting down near the ledge. "Why can't this world-a keep us together for once?" The Hero-King pondered the red plumber's answer for quite a while before sitting down next to him. Marth then placed a hand on Mario's back, knowing about the brave choice he made.

"That's known as multi-tasking," Marth replied, "and it was a pretty wise decision splitting up when you knew the other two paths would close if you would reawaken me, Sheik, or Villager." Mario looked up, satisfied with Marth's decision.

"Yeah," Mario said. "I guess you're right…" Suddenly, from the steep sides of the outside of the path Marth and Mario were traveling on, a wild clamoring started storming through the forest. Emerging from the bushes and trees, the Mii Fighters under Galeem's control rode on the back of the Cascade Kingdom raptors, pulling out their weapons and surrounding the two fighters.

"Mamma-mia," Mario growled, pulling up his fists. "Can't they just give us a break-a?"

"Only one way to find out!" Marth exclaimed, unsheathing the Exalted Falchion from his side. As the raptors were circling around the red plumber and the Hero-King, their mounters pointing their weapons, they started laughing in many different pitches of voices: some high, others low.

"Sic 'em, boys!" a Mii Brawler shouted, riding his raptor with the others. Once both Marth and Mario jumped in the air, ready to fight, a bright light flashed on another Mii Fighter. It came without sudden warning: both the Mii Fighter and her raptor mount were knocked back, and the two of them fell down into the supposedly-bottomless pit filled with giant mushrooms. The rest of the Mii Fighter troops looked over the edge, surprised by what happened. Even Mario and Marth were confused.

Before any more of the possessed Mii Fighters knew what was going on, an incoming parade of bullets flew right towards Galeem's troops, forcing Marth and Mario to duck. Some of the Mii Fighters and their raptors were hit, but a few Mii Gunners managed to reflect the bullets to where they came from. There, dodging some of the bullets he fired, was a man cloaked in black. He had hair as silky and dark as a raven, and his long coat seemed to fly behind him as he ran towards the Mii Fighters, pulling out some sort of knife. He had gloves as red as blood, and on his face was some sort of eye mask colored white with black markings. The stranger then jumped high into the air, his leather boots kicking into some of the Mii Fighters, causing most of the raptors to retreat into the woods. A swarm of Galeem's Mii Fighters glared at the stranger clad in black playing with his knife with their glowing-red eyes. Before they even laid a hand on the mysterious man as they rushed towards him, their target pulled away his mask, revealing blue flames emerging from his face.

"Persona!" he shouted. Through a mighty blast, a strange creature made out of blue flames with orange ones where his eyes should be appeared behind the black-clothed man, spreading his wing-like arms.

"I am thou, thou art I," the creature spoke with the voice of a god. "Show the strength of thy will, and rage against all challengers!" With a powerful yell, the black-clothed stranger set his fists the same glowing-blue as the creature he called forth, pulling out his knife with a powerful slash, knocking back the Mii Fighters and raptors. Once Galeem's troops knew they could not match this man's strength no matter how many of them there were, the Mii Fighters ran towards their raptors, who were running off into the woods. The glowing-blue flames disintegrated, and the black-clothed stranger placed his mask back on his face, putting away his knife back in his coat. When he looked back, he noticed Mario and Marth standing up, staring at him with shocked eyes and gaping mouths.

"And what are you looking at?" the black-clothed stranger asked, stroking his raven-black hair.

"That was amazing what you did there," Marth answered, trembling. "I've never seen anybody attack quite as ferocious as you."

"We just wanna congratulate you," Mario replied, shaking the black-clothed stranger's hand. "Thanks-a, Mr.… Uhhh…"

"Please," the stranger said, pulling away his hand. "I don't really like revealing my name to other strangers, but you can simply call me… Joker."

"Joker, huh?" Marth asked, surprised by this stranger they found out of nowhere. "Well, I'm Marth, and this is Mario. We're looking for our friends, who've been taken captive under Galeem. Think you can help us?" Joker merely took a few steps forward after turning around, stopping when he heard Marth talk about Galeem.

"You know about this Galeem person?" Joker responded, his arms folded across his chest.

"That's right-a, and we're getting everyone back for the final battle," Mario answered, curious about the warrior they just came across. "Hey… how come we've never seen you around here before?"

"Here before what?" Joker asked.

"We had never seen you or that Piranha Plant before on our team back in Arcadia or in the Galeem Void," Mario continued, "and yet somehow, you're fighting alongside us, side-by-side, even though we've never known you passing the test of Arcadia's Master Hand." Joker placed a finger on his own chin.

"You say you were taken captive under Galeem, right?" Joker asked. "Who was the only one of your group to escape?"

"Kirby," Marth answered. "He was the only one to warp out of here in time, saving himself from those beams of light." Joker merely laughed at that response, confusing Mario and Marth more.

"You thought that pink puffball could do it alone with that woman friend of his, a generic plant, and that group of misfit Spirits?" Joker asked.

"How did you know Kirby was a pink-?" Mario asked before Joker placed his gloved finger on the red plumber's lips.

"The whole world of Gallia knows about Kirby at this point, and the Forgotten Resistance has been the talk of the planet," Joker interrupted. "I've been getting gossip, knowing everything. Let's just say that… Kirby was not the only survivor." Mario stepped back, surprised by Joker's answer as he walked back to Marth.

"How do I explain this…?" Joker said, rubbing his head. "You see, during Galeem's invasion on the multiverse, almost everyone we know has been disintegrated, transformed into Spirits. Even the dead could not rest from that bastard as literally all things that we know and don't know existed were taken under his rule, forced to work for him as long as they were consumed by the light. I thought all hope was gone for me as Galeem's beams were about to get me just like they got my friends. However, I used everything I got, including my Personas-"

"Personas?" Marth interrupted.

"They're hidden powers," Joker answered, "and I'm not going to tell you what they are because I don't care."

"Anyway," Joker continued, "I managed to use my abilities and Personas, trying to stay alive as the light consumed everything. I kept fighting and running until the beams of light were gone and the environment blinded me. Before I knew it, I was floating in space. I looked around, noticing the Spirits dancing in the cosmos. Just as I expected, five more warriors that clearly kept their bodies were around me, and that Piranha Plant was one of them. I could've probably expected the Piranha Plant must've been the only one of his kind to probably hide in a pipe in time, but the other four… I don't really know how they did it. Before any one of us could figure out what was going on, Kirby on the Warp Star appeared out of nowhere, knocking us into a collision course with the planet we were floating around in: Gallia. We were split up, and I found myself utterly alone, trapped in a strange environment where it's hunt or be hunted, and where Spirits, corrupted Mii Fighters, and the Subspace Army dominate."

"So… wait," Mario asked once Joker finished. "You weren't engulfed by any of those beams of light, keeping your body as well as your memories of your homeland and backstory, along with Piranha Plant and four others?"

"That's correct," Joker answered, a smile on his face. Mario looked at Marth, wondering about this. After a short period of silence, Mario took Marth by the arm, the two of them talking this out over Joker.

"I don't-a think we can-a trust this guy," Mario quietly objected. "He might be one of Galeem's servants, and he might have been pretend-fighting with those Miis to get our attention."

"I highly doubt it was pretend," Marth whispered. "After all, I know fake expressions when I see them, and the expressions on those Miis' faces were NOT fake. It's as if they had never seen this stranger before…"

"He doesn't look friendly," Mario replied, still whispering. "I mean, none of us, excluding Kirby, were able to survive Galeem's attack. There's no way Piranha Plant and that… guy… we just met be two of the few survivors alongside our only hope out of this planet! You can't admit they're good just by looking at them!"

"And you can't admit they're bad too with a single glance," Marth whispered in objection. Mario bit his lip, knowing he lost the argument. Both Marth and Mario then turned toward Joker, ready to come with their decision.

"Well?" Joker asked.

"We were talking about you, and we thought you might not be trustworthy," Mario answered, looking down with guilt. "However, since Galeem's forces might be back, we have no choice but to have you join our team-a. Welcome aboard, Joker." The black-clothed thief smirked, glad he is joining with two peculiar warriors. As Joker shook hands with Marth, Mario walked down the path they were stuck on, shaking his head as he facepalmed himself.

"Do you guys hear that?" Joker asked, pulling out his knife. Marth and Mario heard it too, and they heard something coming from the forest. Though the rustling was not as big as the last time, the three kept their guards up. Walking out of the bushes was Zelda in the clothes that she wore in Skyloft. By her side, Richter clothed in dark blue walked next to her. Their heads were hung low as they slowly approached the group of warriors. Once they lifted up their heads, both Zelda and Richter revealed glowing-red eyes, triggering Marth and Mario.

"These your friends?" Joker sarcastically asked.

"They look like our friends, but they are solely created in the likeness of our friends and serve the Seraph of Order only," Marth answered. "Whatever you do, don't approach them unless you want to get into a fight." Joker merely shook his head, watching Mario and Marth clench their fists as the Zelda and Richter Supporters walked closer to them.

"That's not how you dumbasses fight these guys," Joker told Mario and Marth. "Let me show you how it's done." With a smirk on his face, his gray-colored eyes hidden from his mask, Joker walked up to Galeem's puppets, pulling out his pistol.

"Hey, you guys lost?" Joker teased the Supporters, changing his bullets hidden in his sleeves. "I can tell you're nervous. Don't be scared. Everyone has to afraid at some point." The possessed warriors kept looking at Joker as he approached them.

"You wanna dance?" Joker asked, hiding his pistol in his coat. "Then I'll show you how we dance." The Supporters stood in their battle stances, ready to fight the stranger that scared off an entire group of Mii Fighters riding Cascade Kingdom raptors.

"Did he just quote… Bayonetta?" Mario asked.

"I don't think Joker knows who Bayonetta is," Marth answered, scratching his head. "Even then, I don't think he cares about stealing one-liners…"

"Watch and learn, Math and Mayro," Joker said, grabbing ahold of the Richter Supporter and putting him in a headlock.

"It's Marth and Mario!" Mario yelled, about to warn Joker of the Zelda Supporter ready to strike with a fiery blast. Luckily, Joker managed to place the hilt of his knife on Zelda's neck before she laid a hand on him. With a mighty rumble, Mario and Marth knew what was going to happen next. Pieces of the ground Joker was standing on ascended into the air with the Phantom Thief of Hearts with the puppet fighters, creating another UV sphere around them. The Supporter Richter vanished in Joker's clutches soon after.

In Joker's point of view, the background turned into the Hyrule Field when it was taken over by the Twilight Realm. Trees and darkened clouds formed in the distance, and Hyrule Castle was seen in the background. The stage itself turned into a battlefield version of the Bridge of Eldin, creating three floating platforms above him. In front of Joker, the Supporter Zelda stood before him. The puppet fighter then conjured up Din's Fire in her hands, launching a small flame towards the Phantom Thief of Hearts. Just when it was about to explode into a burst, Joker jumped out of the way in time, landing with an epic pose.

"So, you wanna fight fire with fire, huh?" Joker asked, watching the Supporter Zelda create another burst of flame. After the puppet fighter unleashed Din's Fire again, Joker managed to dodge in time.

"My turn," Joker growled, taking off his mask. From behind him, the Persona Arsene appeared behind him, using the move Dream Needle. A large needle shot right towards the puppet fighter, dealing slight damage in total as it flew right into her. Even though it dealt light damage, it wasn't enough to put her to sleep. Joker then put back his mask, rushing in and slashing with his knife. He began jabbing the Supporter Zelda, not worthy to finish without a bang of his pistol right into her chest. Though the puppet fighter was down, she was not out as she jumped back onto the stage with Farore's Windfall.

After the Supporter Zelda grabbed onto the stage, she took ahold of Joker as he was about to fire his pistol again. She started using her powers to pummel Joker, throwing him high into the air. However, Joker managed to take off his mask again, landing onto the ground. Blue flames emerged from his face, summoning the Persona Asterius. As the Supporter Zelda ran towards Joker, he used the Persona he had in hand and made it use the move Titanomachia, creating a flame pillar just below her. The Supporter Zelda tried using Nayru's Love to reflect the attack, but to no avail as she was launched with high damage. Out of nowhere, the Supporter Richter was called to her aid, launching his signature Cross move at Joker after he put on his mask and pulled out his knives. With a grab from the puppet fighter's Vampire Killer, Joker felt himself flung towards the Supporter Richter, pummeled while the Supporter Zelda kept using Din's Fire, raising the damage that was impacted on the Phantom Thief of Hearts. Once he was thrown in front of the two Supporters, Joker quickly got up, taking off his mask again. With his Persona Izanagi Picaro, he used the move Cross Slash, followed by two bright intersecting lines on the two puppet fighters before putting on his mask again and starting to jab with his knives. The Supporter Zelda still kept using Din's Fire, jumping from platform to platform as Joker was busy with the Supporter Richter.

After Richter launched Joker off the Battlefield version of the Bridge of Eldin, the Phantom Thief of Hearts took off his mask again, calling forth the Persona Tsukiyomi Picaro, recovering with Abyssal Wings. Once Joker hopped back onto the stage, he grabbed the Supporter Richter, avoiding another Din's Fire, and throwing the puppet fighter off. As if it was nothing, Joker placed his white-and-black eye mask on his face, unleashing a downward slash with his knife and sending the Supporter Richter to a meteor smash death. Once Joker got back onto the stage, the Supporter Zelda was waiting for him, her hands ablaze. Since she was at high percent, Joker had no trouble grabbing her thanks to Persona Arsene and throwing her behind himself, straight into the blast zone. The stage crumbled underneath Joker once he was finished, and the Phantom Thief of Hearts felt himself levitating in place as if he was restrained. The UV sphere vanished, and Mario and Marth watched as Joker was floating in front of the Supporter Zelda, crumbling away into Shadow Bugs as the Spirit behind all this was revealed: a glowing-green Charlotte Aulin, merely the Normal Advanced type. A Spirit Sniper formed in Joker's hands, and a barrier was created around the Spirit. While the force field kept spinning, Joker noticed a small hole guarantying a perfect win if he hits. Taking careful aim, Joker managed to snipe the Spirit perfectly, free from the levitation as he landed, striking a pose. The three fighters then noticed the rescued Spirit simply floating off into the distance.

"And that's how you skin a cat, or clone, or whatever…" Joker answered, adjusting the mask on his face and putting away his knife and pistol.

"Thanks for taking care of those two for us," Marth replied.

"What I want to ask is-a… if Kirby's not here because of that stone inside his body, then where did the Spirit-a go?" Mario asked. Joker looked at the direction Charlotte Aulin flew off to, knowing something.

"I believe I know where," Joker answered. "Come on." The Phantom Thief of Hearts then ran off in the Spirit's direction, followed by Marth and Mario. After a minute or two of traveling, the three fighters came across some sort of town.

"This is where the Spirit we just rescued is staying?" Mario asked.

"Yup," Joker answered. "While I've been looking for this strange stone you recently admitted is inside Kirby, the Spirits I've managed to save are taking refuge here. However, since I'm trapped in this barrier with you guys, the best we could do is look around the town and ask questions on how to get us out of here…" Joker then walked down the pathway they were on with Mario and Marth, heading to the gateway.

"What do you mean I can't pass through those gates!?" Joker asked the town guards. This was all taking place after some time had went by and he was told he can't go through. The two Normal Spirits who were guarding the gates were an Advanced Buliara and a Novice Booker.

"We were told about Supporters and Primaries invading close to Morrowsville," Booker answered, the anipromorphic police dog from the Villager's and Isabelle's world standing in front of the barred doors.

"To avoid any sudden attacks and captures in our peaceful refuge town, we've made sure no one gets in or out," Buliara said, the Gerudo guard feeling sorry for the three fighters who could not pass.

"I'll tell you what," Buliara continued, sticking her spear into the ground. "If you and your wimpy companions look for a friend of ours, we might let you pass. However, we can't say who. You'll have to find out yourself…"

"Well, that's bullshit," Joker sighed. The Phantom Thief of Hearts then walked back to Marth and Mario, taking off his eye mask. For the first time, his face was not set on supernatural flames.

"This world is clearly not the one I grew up in," Joker told the two fighters. "Got any other plans? I know you've been here for quite a while…"

"Defeating gods behind-the-scenes of world destruction? Rules and laws of this planet changing and alternating over time after one's defeat? We've got nothing either," Mario answered. Just then, the three warriors heard beeping from Mario's watch-like device, which was still on his wrist.

"What was that?" Joker asked, putting on his mask.

"I think it's the Undying Light crew," Mario answered. "Wait right here." With a press of a button, the incoming transmission rang out with Faker's voice.

"Thank God you're alright, Mario," Faker spoke over the gadget. "We've been trying for hours to at least break through to you. We couldn't find Kirby or Piranha Plant, no matter how hard we attempted."

"It's okay, Faker," Mario answered. "I've managed to find a couple more companions. We'll be up there shortly." With a press of the button, Mario ended the transmission and took off the watch-like device.

"Joker, Marth, place your wrists together," Mario told the other two fighters.

"…Why?" Marth asked, sticking out his right arm. Joker did like Marth did, their wrists touching each other. Mario then placed his arm above the other two, wrapping the watch-like device around their wrists. With three presses of the gadget, Mario, Marth, and newly-found Joker started glowing blue, transporting themselves up above in the sky, heading towards the Undying Light.

After the teleportation, the three fighters were back on the ship's deck, where Faker was waiting for them in her dragon armor. Marth and Joker felt a little nauseous after their return back to the Undying Light, but they tried adjusting to the slightly-lowered gravity from being in the sky. The sun was setting just in time, its orange-golden rays shining on the horizon.

"Faker!" Mario said, taking off the watch-like device. "We were stuck on that planet, waiting for an answer. By the way, Sticks-a said that Flynn's accident with the transporting machine would leave us grounded and it would take at least a week to repair…"

"Well, Professor E. Gadd's a brilliant man despite lacking a body," Faker answered, rubbing her head. "He managed to kink it up so it could work on your device." The brown-skinned warrior then noticed Joker simply standing there, unaware of what was going on.

"Are we on… the ship of the Forgotten Resistance?" Joker asked, flipping his short, raven-black hair. For the first time, Faker felt her heart skip. Never had she seen someone as handsome as the Phantom Thief of Hearts, and her cheeks were burning red.

"Uh… M-Mario?" Faker stammered, tugging on Mario's overalls. "Who's this mysterious man?"

"That's Joker," Marth answered for Mario. "We just found him when we were ambushed. He wouldn't tell us his story of how he got here and just showed up…" Faker then let go of Mario's overalls, slowly walking over to Joker. Even when his mask was covering his face, the Phantom Thief of Hearts still looked intimidating.

"Do you mind if I… show you to your headquarters…?" Faker asked, her nervousness clearly showing as she held his blood-red gloved hand, looking away.

"Gladly," Joker replied. Faker then started taking Joker inside the ship, covering her face with her hand as she dared not to look at the mysterious warrior.

"Do you think Faker has some sort of crush on a complete stranger?" Mario asked, confused by the black-haired, brown-skinned warrior blushing when she looked at Joker.

"Have you heard the old saying 'love at first sight'?" Marth answered in the form of a question. "I think that's what it was…" As the sun was setting and the light turned into a violet dusk, Mario leaned against the rim of the deck with Marth, looking down on the blackened land below.

"Kirby, Villager, Piranha Plant, Sheik, wherever you are, I hope you're all-a safe," Mario sighed, worried about their safety. Meanwhile, inside the ship, Faker managed to show Joker to the bed with about a hundred beds.

"Welcome to your new home," Faker said, opening the door and flipping the switch. As the lights buzzed on, the Phantom Thief of Hearts looked around, noticing the beds that were laid out evenly, and some were even bunked on top of each other. He wasn't impressed by the common beds next to the wall, but the thing that truly caught his attention was the humungous poster on the opposite side of the room. Joker slowly walked to the cutout drawings taped on, set against a beautiful background. Faker then walked up next to Joker, looking at the poster.

"You like it?" Faker asked, making sure the Phantom Thief of Hearts was not making eye contact with her. "Kirby drew it all by himself, back when he had no one to remember when he first got on here…"

"I can see it was all crayon," Joker answered. "Judging by the fact all the pink puffball could draw is scribbles on paper, this is true art at its finest." Faker looked down on the ground, wanting to hear his compliment again. Joker then noticed the Piranha Plant in the poster, taped against the wall as the craft materials were lying on the floor.

"Did Kirby draw that carnivorous flower into the picture too?" Joker asked.

"No, actually," Faker responded. "The Piranha Plant drew himself, and it looks nearly identical to what Kirby created. You can put yourself in the picture if you like. It doesn't hurt to be one of the gang…"

"I understand," Joker said. "Thanks for your time, miss." As the Phantom Thief of Hearts glanced at Faker with gray eyes, the brown-skinned warrior quickly ran out of the room, her face gleaming red.

"You're welcome!" Faker answered, slamming the door. As soon as Faker was out, she felt her head spinning as she wiped it of her sweat. Her heart was beating fast, knowing that Joker looked so handsome and didn't want to tell him yet. Inside the room, Joker sat down on the floor, taking out the crayons and paper.

Deep in the Galeem Void, the Seraph of Order was sitting on some sort of crystal throne, watching Joker draw himself in the likeness of the poster on the wall through a magical mirror. Out of fury, Galeem pulled on the Chains of Light, dragging Tabuu along with them. Once the God of Construction got up, he knew Galeem had something to say.

"What is it this time, master?" Tabuu sighed, his butterfly-like wings wilting.

"You were quite positive that with the Off-Waves, you reverted everyone I had captured so far into my personal slaves, correct?" Galeem told Tabuu.

"That's true," Tabuu answered, looking away in regret.

"Then explain to me this," Galeem said, harshly tugging on Tabuu's Chains of Light as he pulled the God of Construction next to him. With one of the Seraph of Order's outstretched wings fiercely pushing Tabuu towards the magical mirror, the two gods knew who Galeem was referring to: a mysterious, black-clothed man cutting out a beautiful picture of himself in an epic battle pose and taping himself to the poster on the wall.

"These two new companions – Joker and Piranha Plant – claimed that they were few of six warriors that had survived my attack outside of Kirby, according to the Phantom Thief of Hearts," Galeem explained. "Tell me, Tabuu… how come it was possible for them to avoid the light and not even pass the test of Arcadia's Master Core?" Tabuu looked away, confused by the question as well.

"I… think there were a few lucky survivors," Tabuu answered with no other explanation. "Whoever they are, you would have to get rid of them, and fast…" Galeem floated off his crystal throne, wondering about the situation.

"King Bulbin!" Galeem called. Through the Seraph of Order's command, the leader of the Bokoblins walked in on his warthog steed, surrounded by the corrupted Mii Fighters riding the raptors and other dinosaurs from the Cascade Kingdom, as well as his own troops of Bokoblins.

"Tell Balder and the Subspace Army in the Marth route to take extra precautions," Galeem ordered King Bulbin. "Afterwards, bring in Galleon to take care of these fighters." Walking off, King Bulbin took the Seraph of Order's command, riding off with his troops and the Miis. As they marched off into the darkness, Galeem and Tabuu watched through the magical mirror as Joker was looking around the room he was in, admiring the small pictures on the desk with the put-out oil lamp: one with two parent dragons with their three babies, the other a photo taken ten years ago with the words "Smash Bros. 2008" drawn on it with permanent marker.


	34. Pt 34: The Thousand-Faces Swordfighter

Heading up north, Piranha Plant traveled with Sheik, who was back to normal, through another grassy field that seemed to go on forever. Luckily, the two of them still stayed on the path, looking for a way out of the barrier.

"It's strange that I was rescued by a generic plant," Sheik said, with the Piranha Plant turning his head towards her in response. "I give you my deepest congratulations, either way…" Piranha Plant growled happily, heading to some sort of village. The houses speckled in the field all had brick-red roofs, finished off with cobblestone paths.

"We might get some help in there," Sheik told Piranha Plant. "Follow me." However, before the two warriors took another step, an indigo-furred Supporter Sonic with green cuffs fell from the sky at lightning-speed. The puppet fighter glared at Sheik and Piranha Plant with glowing-red eyes, instantly shifting his body into a metal coat and spawning jets on his back. After surprising the two fighters, the Supporter Sonic grabbed ahold of their necks, flying up into the air. Once the puppet fighter was at the right height, he threw Piranha Plant and Sheik onto a floating stage, followed by the UV sphere forming around it. The stage the three were fighting on was Windy Hill Zone, complete with peculiar flowers and miniature animals that looked more like collectable figurines.

"Think fast, plant!" Sheik called out, pulling out a storm of needles. Flying into the air thanks to the jetpacks, the Supporter Sonic started spindashing right towards Piranha Plant, and thankfully the carnivorous flower reacted in time. The Piranha Plant ducked inside his flower pot, lashing out with a powerful bite at the Supporter Sonic's metal coat. As the puppet fighter jumped up into the air about to use a homing attack, Sheik used her Bouncing Fish technique from the windmill portion of the stage and kicked right at the Supporter Sonic before he could unleash the attack.

The Piranha Plant began spitting poison in the air, looking out for any sudden spindash attacks as the drops landed on the Supporter Sonic's metal coat and fizzled through. Sheik then began jabbing at the puppet fighter, knocking the metal Supporter Sonic at Piranha Plant, who just began spitting out a spiked ball.

With multiple hits, Sheik and Piranha Plant knocked the Supporter Sonic off the stage, making sure he runs out of jet fuel when he recovers by using their meteor attacks. Just as the Supporter Sonic was about to make it back to the stage, the large, red, double-sided spring appeared out of nowhere. The puppet fighter thought he could use it as an advantage to keep on fighting, but the spring instantly turned around, sending the Supporter Sonic down into the blast zone with a single touch. The stage vanished, and the two fighters dropped down on the ground. Piranha Plant looked up to see Sheik pointing a Spirit Sniper at the defeated puppet fighter, who disintegrated into Shadow Bugs and revealed the Spirit that pulled the Supporter's strings: a Normal Advanced Metal Sonic. With one shot at the spinning barrier, Sheik hit the Spirit and freed it from Galeem's clutches, and Metal Sonic then flew off towards the village just past the stone river bridge. Sheik landed on the ground, and Piranha Plant held her steady with his two big leaves.

"That was close," Sheik panted. The Metal Sonic Spirit then flew off to the village, and the two fighters remembered their location again.

"The village might be our chance for shelter," Sheik told Piranha Plant. "Shelter so that we can train ourselves to fight harder…" The Sheikah and the carnivorous flower then took the stone bridge towards the red-roofed village. However, when the two fighters entered the cobblestone streets, they saw it was deserted.

The village seemed to have been abandoned like some sort of attack happened, mainly with Galeem's troops moving ever faster. The houses themselves seemed to have been barred with wooden planks and nails from the inside. Piranha Plant and Sheik had passed the central fountain, noticing it wasn't spouting water. However, the carnivorous flower peered into the empty fountain, noticing there were some puddles of water remaining. The Sheikah looked over to observe that the puddles were fresh, and only a few hours old.

"I know, flower," Sheik said. "We would have to be careful around here…" Just then, before the two took another step, a flash of green mist appeared in front of them. The two fighters were greeted by a pair of gleaming-white eyes, and a glowing-green hand snatched the warriors before they could even react. The green mist vanished, and Sheik and Piranha Plant both ended up inbetween two houses as soon as the fog cleared. In front of the warriors, a glowing-green Spirit gleaming in a rainbow aura, one of the Master Advanced kind, was revealed to be their captor, and her name was Stealth Elf, one of the Life Element-wielders native to the Skylands.

"What do you two think you're doing here, wandering the streets like a bunch of idiots?" Stealth Elf spoke with a raspy voice. "You shouldn't be here when they're stalking us."

"Excuse me?" Sheik asked. The Master Advanced Spirit that rescued them suddenly placed one of her daggers on the Sheikah's face, shushing her.

"Shut the hell up," Stealth Elf whispered. "One of them is here." The grinding of chains startled Piranha Plant and Sheik, and the two warriors crept closer to the Skylander Spirit. There was a large monster Stealth Elf was warning them about, and it closely resembled metallic handcuffs. Its chain-like body was dragging along the cobblestone road, and its two, shackle-like claws were scratching the rocks. It passed the area where Piranha Plant and Sheik were hiding, not even hearing them as they were completely silent. As soon as the creature left, Stealth Elf quickly and quietly moved a straw trash bin next to one house to the side, opening some sort of side door.

"Get in," Stealth Elf whispered, crawling into the house. Sheik then grabbed Piranha Plant's flower pot, heading through the side door. Once the two fighters were inside the house, a Normal Advanced Spirit – Prince Ralsei – quickly moved the straw trash bin to cover the hole and locked the side door.

"Coast is clear," Stealth Elf told few of the Spirits trapped in the house with her. "They may be far away from our section of the village, but they will never stop looking for souls to capture and feed to Galeem's army."

"Thank God," a glowing-green Spirit replied, sitting on a stool next to the fireplace. He was tall and dressing in grayed-out clothes similar to Ryu's, and his name was Heihachi Mishima. Sitting near a table was another Advanced Spirit, and he was sporting a sword and a cyborg-like body, with only his face and white hair remaining visible and a cloth covering his left eye.

"Can you please tell us what's going on? Why that elf snatched us when we were minding our business?" Sheik asked, putting the Piranha Plant down onto the wooden floor.

"Because of Lord Galeem's newest and most dangerous monsters: the Shackrabs," the cyborg-like Spirit answered. "My name is Raiden, by the way. The Spirits you two are surrounded by are Prince Ralsei, Heihachi Mishima, and Stealth Elf."

"We're not getting acquainted with you people unless you tell us what are 'Shackrabs'," Sheik objected, confused by the situation.

"Galeem's troops were on the rise," Raiden explained. "Because all our worlds were wiped out by the light, were we forced to settle down on the last remaining world in the multiverse. Many of us started living in the village you're in right now. However, before the peace was about to last, the Primaries arrived. The Spirits that were elected leaders – the three Fab Fairies – tried defending us from those that worked for the Seraph of Order. As punishment for our revolution, the corrupted Mii Fighters, Subspace Army, and Shackrabs broke into the houses, capturing those that ran outside. Luckily, few of us managed to survive. Those that were enslaved were thrown into rusted cages tied to Lord Bullbo's back, including the Fab Fairies. The Primaries and few of the Supporters stayed in the village, but the Shackrabs are walking these streets as the true stalkers. No matter what we could do, no Spirit can escape or defeat a single Shackrab…"

"…Did you say there were Primaries here? In this village?" Sheik asked. The Piranha Plant looked up at the Sheikah, knowing about what she knew.

"That's right," Ralsei replied. "In fact, I thought I just saw one go up north of the village, looking like one of those… Mii Swordfighters. Is that correct?"

"Then let's get out of here and save him," Sheik said. The Sheikah then grabbed Piranha Plant's flower pot, ready to burst open the wooden planks barricading the main door of the house. However, Stealth Elf tossed one of her daggers right near the two warriors.

"Are you crazy?" Stealth Elf objected. "You go out there, you die. You better give us a good excuse why you should go after the monsters we call Primaries."

"The Primaries are our friends," Sheik answered, taking out a dagger of her own. "And we'll be going to rescue every single one of them, no matter what the cost." Piranha Plant then grabbed the wooden planks, tearing them off the wall so that Sheik could kick the main door down. Once the two fighters walked outside, a few Shackrabs started crawling towards them, hearing the loud noise coming from the house. As one Shackrab started to claw Sheik and Piranha Plant, the illusive Sheikah threw needles at its metal skin, simply bouncing off like nothing.

"Looks like we'll have to run north," Sheik said, placing Piranha Plant down onto the cobblestone road. The Sheikah then dashed off north, followed by the carnivorous flower. As the two fighters kept running in the set direction, the Shackrabs started following them, their handcuff-like claws carrying themselves at immense speeds. It felt like a minute or two, but Piranha Plant and Sheik were successfully outrunning the Shackrabs and leading them out of the village area the Spirits they met were in.

Once the two warriors were heading north, the path they were on was connecting to some sort of forest. The Shackrabs that were chasing them realized they were given orders to wander the village streets and headed back, fully tired after the chase. When Sheik and Piranha Plant walked down the path, one of the Primaries that was mentioned before was waiting for them. It was the Mii Swordfighter, the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn, glaring at them with glowing-red pupils.

"So, you've made it past the monsters Lord Galeem ordered us to send out, huh?" the Mii Swordfighter asked, with a completely different voice from his usual one. This new voice sounded more feminine, and almost shy-like.

"Bonjam," the Mii Swordfighter Primary said to Sheik and Piranha Plant. "I'm… not sure if you notice, but my name is Francisca, the General of Ice and the youngest of the three Mage Sisters of Jambandra." A brief image flashed on the Mii Swordfighter's chest, revealing an image of the Master Legendary Francisca Spirit before vanishing once more.

"I may look timid, but I will strike you both dead-cold," Francisca inside Mii Swordfighter's body spoke. "After all, because of what happened to our closest friends Lord Hyness, we have no choice but to serve the Seraph of Order. We have heard about Kirby and six other warriors escaping from the clutches of Galeem, and we are here to put an end to this. Get out of the way if you don't want to end up frozen like an icicle!"

"We will never surrender to Lord Galeem," Sheik replied, pulling out her needles. "We will never serve that monster, no matter what the cost."

"Then die," Francisca spoke, an icy blizzard emerging from the Mii Swordfighter's body. The corrupted ex-Ultimate Reborn then grabbed Sheik without a sudden reaction, tossing her high into the air while throwing the Piranha Plant into a golden cage. The Mii Swordfighter Primary then jumped towards Sheik, latching onto her and transporting her to the Final Destination.

As Sheik quickly sprung up, she saw the futuristic-looking stage, complete with charcoal-black opal and a beautiful background dancing with color. The illusive Sheikah then saw Francisca inside Mii Swordfighter's body, starting to change her physical appearance. A blue headband sporting the Jambandra symbol appeared, a wig of blue, graceful hair flowed from the Primary's crown, and an ice-coated axe replaced the sword the ex-Ultimate Reborn had before.

Sheik started the battle using some sort of flash bomb, tossing it at the Mii Swordfighter and detonating it in the Primary's face with an invisible string. The blast caused the corrupted ex-Ultimate Reborn to start slashing with the ice-coated axe, flinging large snowflakes at the illusive Sheikah. However, Sheik vanished in the air with a handful of Deku Nuts, appearing right behind the Mii Swordfighter in a flash. The Sheikah then began jabbing at the Primary Mii Swordfighter, slashing until the Spirit inside her friend had enough. With a gust of wind, Francisca yelled as she launched it at Sheik, creating a blizzard around herself.

The possessed Mii Swordfighter then ran to the end of the stage, watching Sheik charge up her storm of needles. Francisca then giggled, pulling out a water pistol. With a single shot, the Mii Swordfighter created a stream of water bouncing up and down on the stage, hitting the Sheikah with ice-cold water. The Mii Swordfighter then started floating in the air, heading to the other side of the stage when Sheik tried drying herself up. With another evil laugh, Francisca fired another stream of water, but this time Sheik dodged out of the way in time. The Primary Mii Swordfighter could not dodge out of the way in time as Sheik ended up behind the possessed warrior and began kicking harshly. However, Francisca quickly turned around, shooting another powerful stream of water in Sheik's face.

As Sheik jumped up into the air, a Screw Attack item from Samus' universe spawned right in front of her. The illusive Sheikah then equipped the item, watching out for another stream of water. As Francisca inside Mii Swordfighter's body started laughing again, Sheik jumped up close to her and spinned in the air, generating electrical sparks. The electricity instantly traveled through Francisca's water pistol and electrocuted the Primary Mii Swordfighter, paralyzing the possessed warrior. Once the Mii Swordfighter was seeing stars spin around his head, it was Sheik's chance to perform a powerful kick into the Primary, instantly winning the fight as Francisca and her choice of vessel flew into the blast zone, drenching the Final Destination in shadow once more.

While Sheik watched the Shadow Bugs cover the background around her, a Spirit Sniper generated in her hands, forcing her to point at the Primary Mii Swordfighter. Francisca emerged from her vessel, and the Master Legendary Spirit generated a barrier around herself and made it spin at a crazy-fast speed. With careful aim as the Shadow Bugs closed in, Sheik fired through the tiny hole, hitting both Francisca and the Mii Swordfighter. The Galeem Lock shattered around the Mii Swordfighter, and the shards instantly merged back into a Smash Ball, flying back into the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn. There were some wisps of white flying out of the rescued Mii Fighter, flying off into the distance.

Meanwhile, not far from the ruins, Kirby and now-reawakened Villager were walking down the path they were forced to stay on, walking down some sort of rocky cliffside. All of a sudden, the wisps of white flew right into Kirby, causing the pink puffball's eyes to glow a gleaming white. Villager was shocked to find out what happened to Kirby and tried holding the pink puffball close to him. In Kirby's head, it was the vision of the dragons.

Kirby looked at himself, feeling the Smash Ball on his forehead again and sporting the rainbow aura and golden eyes. The pink puffball then recognized he was standing in front of some sort of wooden elevator, with the green vines hanging from a floating island sky-high. There was also a group of young dragons chatting and clamoring, assigned in a group made by an adult female dragon, with her scaly coat decorated with flower markings. Metallio and Toropikaru arrived on the scene, carrying Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix on their backs. When the three siblings jumped off, they were so excited for whatever reason.

"Here we are, kids," Metallio spoke to the three children. "Your very first day of flight school."

"Geez, mommy," Ultima stammered, looking at the floating island way up in the air. "Our class sure is up so high." Toropikaru chuckled in response.

"It's alright, baby," Toropikaru answered. "Most dragons your age managed to fly perfectly within a day or two. Your father and I were that young when we were first learning how to soar through the air gracefully."

"Besides, if you three want to learn how to become like the Dragosmos of old, you would have to learn from the best of the best: Flora," Metallio spoke to Phoenix, Ultima, and Galeem. "She's one of the best fliers there are here in Arcus, and she will train you to glide through the sky with no fear."

"So we don't have to be afraid of heights to learn how to fly?" Galeem asked.

"That's all part of the adventure," Toropikaru answered. "Conquering your fears."

"Alright, class," Flora then spoke. "Gather around and pay attention."

"I think it is time," Phoenix replied to his two siblings.

"Bye, mommy and daddy!" Ultima cheered, walking off with her brothers.

"Remember: no fighting with each other or your new schoolmates!" Toropikaru called out.

"Also know this: it's not about flying with your head, but it's about flying with your heart!" Metallio said out loud to their departing children. Galeem and Phoenix were merely too excited to pay attention to their father's message, but Ultima heard every word of it as she watched her parents leave the flight school by flying into the air, remembering the message.

"Come on, sis!" Galeem called out. Ultima heard her brother calling out for her, and she obeyed as she ran off to the group of young dragons. Kirby, remaining invisible like always, walked towards the teacher and hearing about her lecture.

"Welcome to flight school," Flora spoke with a cheerful voice that brought attention to the assigned group.

"Here, you will learn how to soar through the sky like your parents and the Dragosmos," Flora continued. "Since we dragons are fast learners, the average time it would take for most dragons is about a few hours or even a day. However, it is recommended to come back here in order to learn more advanced techniques in flight. Now, let's proceed in taking the elevator into the sky island." The group of dragons then walked into the wooden elevator, with the door shutting once everyone was in, including Ultima and her brothers. Kirby, like a ghost, went into the wooden elevator without climbing over, surprised by how many young dragons there were. Flora then took off into the air towards the sky island, grabbing ahold of the vine and pulling the wooden elevator up.

The young dragons perched on top of each other, looking at the dizzy heights while taking care not to fall off. Kirby noticed the elevator ride felt like a minute or two up to the sky island. Once the wooden elevator stopped at the island, all the dragons waited for the door to open before they stepped out, each one walking to their teacher.

"Pay attention to what I have to say, students," Flora spoke, pointing to an oak dock on her right with one of her unfurled wings.

"Now, I'll be tossing you kids off the dock one at a time," Flora continued. "Once I do, this would be your chance to spread your wings and fly once you get as close to the ground as you possibly can. If you think you can't do it, don't worry. I'll catch you and bring you back here so you can try again. Most dragons around here have been reported to fly on their first try. Don't fret or throw hissy fits if you can't do it. Just take your time and keep practicing. Eventually, you'll get the hang of it. Also remember: if you can't get it first try, just wait your turn and you can go after those that already learned how to fly. Understand?"

"Yes, Ms. Flora," the young dragons all answered. Their teacher then walked to the edge of the oak dock, with the students following her.

"First up: Charchole," Flora said. A young female dragon with markings like lava and wings like flames stepped forward, confident and ready to jump. The rest of her classmates were surprised to see her take the risk in going first, including Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima. With a mighty leap, Charchole dived straight down from the sky island with Flora flying after her for safety. Once the young dragons leaned over the oak dock, Charchole soared through the air like a bullet, her wings set ablaze. She flew back to the sky island, aweing the students. Flora landed on the oak dock, ready for another dragon's turn.

"A splendid performance from Charchole," Flora replied. "Now, it's Quelsa's turn. Come on out, Quelsa. No need to be shy…" Another female dragon walked out, timid and bashful. She was looking down on the ground, avoiding eye contact with any of her classmates. Her armor was coated like ice, and her wings were shaped like the ends of snowflakes. She walked up to the oak dock, her heart beating fast as soon as she looked down on the ground below.

"Don't be afraid," Flora spoke. "I'll catch you. You can always try again once the other students are done, alright?" Quelsa nodded, terrified. With a deep breath, Quelsa jumped off, her eyes shut. Flora took off behind her, ready to catch her if she fails to lift off. A minute or two passed, and the students saw Flora flying back to the island, holding a scared Quelsa cuddling tight in her foreleg. Flora gently placed the terrified dragon on the ground, trying to calm her down.

"It's okay," Flora whispered. "I can help you fly once all the other students are done, alright?" With tears of fright in her eyes, Quelsa nodded, hugging her teacher's leg.

"Alright," Flora replied. "Now then, why don't you go play with Charchole until I call on you?" Quelsa then broke the hug with her teacher, running on all four legs past the group of classmates to the lava-marked dragon, passing through Kirby.

About an hour went by, and many of the young dragons were succeeding or failing in flying, with only Ultima and her brothers waiting for a turn.

"Next up… Phoenix," Flora spoke. The black-armored dragon with fiery wings then walked to the rim of the oak dock, jumping off with the teacher flying after him. In less than a few seconds, Phoenix began gliding in the air, leaving his sibling in awe. Even Flora had a hard time catching up with the young dragon.

"Galeem, you're up," Flora spoke. Mimicking his brother's stance, the white-coated dragon with fiery-orange and space-blue wings jumped off the dock, flying up into the air gracefully. The only one that did not get a turn yet was Ultima. As the black-coated dragon with golden eyes and rainbow-spectrum wings watched her two brothers fly off to play with the other students, Flora called for her.

"Ultima, it's your turn," Flora told her. Exhaling deeply, Ultima slowly walked to the rim of the oak dock, looking at the forest down below.

"You might wanna try hurrying up," Flora replied. "Some of the other students want to have another chance…" Ultima then gulped, taking a nice breath and closing her eyes. The young dragon then jumped off, her wings tucked into her back. Speeding as fast a bullet, Ultima kept her eyes shut, not even noticing Flora was flying behind her. Because of her fear, Ultima could not remember to open her wings. Then, she remembered the message her father told her about flying with the heart. Ultima then slowly opened up her eyes, feeling the gust of air flying into her face and drying up her eyes a bit. She watched the ground get closer to her, and she started pulling open her rainbow-spectrum wings. Before Flora could catch her, Ultima quickly shot up into the air like her brothers, taking off into the air and gently flapping her wings. All of her classmates, including Galeem and Phoenix, looked up into the air to see Ultima fly up into the air, her wings gleaming in rainbow colors as soon as she flew in front of the sun. Ultima then flew back to the group of young dragons, leaving them dazed in awe. Flora landed on the oak dock again, ready for the students that failed the first time.

"Amazing stunt preformed by Ultima," Flora cheerfully spoke. "Now then… it's time for the other students to keep practicing. Those of you that already learned how to fly, you can come back here later in the day to learn more advanced techniques." Ultima walked away from the teacher to play with the other dragons, but not until she finished congratulating her brothers.

"Nice going back there, Galeem," Ultima spoke. "You too, Phoenix."

"You were cool back there too, sis," Galeem replied. "I also couldn't forget how awesome Phoenix was back there."

"For once, I feel welcome in your family," Phoenix said. "To me, you both were amazing." The three siblings giggled, knowing their friendship would last until the end of their days. Kirby kept watching, moved by the three young dragons. Just then, the Smash Ball on the pink puffball's forehead began glowing, and the last thing Kirby heard before everything turned white was the laughter of the young dragons.

Waking up with sweat on his face, Kirby looked around, noticing he was back to normal. The Villager that he rescued was concerned about his health, hugging the pink demon tightly when he knew Kirby was okay.

"Vi…Villager," Kirby muttered, embracing the moment of comfort. After breaking the hug, both Kirby and Villager kept walking down the cliffside with determination, not afraid to get out of the last remaining world in existence.

Meanwhile, back at the village Sheik and Piranha Plant were at, the illusive Sheikah was holding an unconscious Mii Swordfighter in her arms, feeling the ex-Ultimate Reborn's heart beat nice and steady.

"He's alright," Sheik told Piranha Plant. "He's back to normal." Out of shock, Mii Swordfighter quickly shot up and pulled out his weapon, afraid of incoming enemies.

"Stand back!" Mii Swordfighter yelled, looking out for intruders. "I've got a sword and I'm not afraid to use it!" When the ex-Ultimate Reborn noticed Sheik and Piranha Plant were the ones that reawakened him.

"I… was not expecting you two here," the Mii Swordfighter said, looking at the two fighters with his normal-colored eyes. He then put away his sword back in his sheathe, placing his hands on Sheik's shoulders.

"The other two Ultimates Reborn – where are they?" the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn asked. Sheik pushed away the Mii Fighter's hands, staring with brown-colored eyes.

"They're not here with us," Sheik answered. "They could still be under Galeem's control."

"And the Mii Fighter army…?" Mii Swordfighter asked.

"Still petrified and having their strings pulled by the Spirits the Seraph of Order has captured," Sheik answered again. The Piranha Plant walked up to the other two fighters, worried.

"And we're still trapped in a barrier, looking for a way out," Sheik continued. "Do you know how to escape?"

"Not really," the Mii Swordfighter answered, rubbing his shoulder. "However, I do know this: if we keep rescuing the fighters that are trapped in this path with us, there's going to be bosses to encounter. Each one of them is powering the Northern Barrier surrounding the Galeem Void. If we defeat those bosses, we can break the barrier and reunite with the rest of the gang. Hopefully…"

"Then I guess we have no time to waste," Sheik said. "Piranha Plant, Mii Swordfighter, let's go." The Sheikah then ran off back to the village, followed by her two companions.


	35. Pt 35: The Supersonic Slugger

Traveling the route where Kirby rescued Villager, the two fighters, now split from their friends and cut from connection to the Undying Light, were climbing down the cliffside near the ruins and looking for a way out. After a few minutes of hiking, Villager and Kirby came across a large racing track, complete with rubber-black tires. On the sides of the track, there were all sorts of banners and product placement, like 1-Up Mushroom Car Insurance Group, Golden Wheel, Mario Super Motor Team, Undead Motors, and Propeller Toad Transport. The two warriors felt excited to traveling on a race track, and they were about to set foot on the road. However, Kirby accidently kicked a small pebble onto the road while running, and many different sorts of vehicles were zooming right in front of them.

Racers were driving at superfast speeds, seemingly never-ending. There was no checkered finish line, there was no audience, nothing but different racers competing against each other for no reason, and it was lucky that Villager and Kirby managed to quickly step back outside the road in time. A hand grabbed the mayor of Smashville's shoulder, and both fighters quickly turned around to see who it was. There was a glowing-yellow woman dressed in pink and red, looking down on Kirby and Villager.

"It's too dangerous to run onto the road without looking both ways before crossing," the woman spoke. Villager and Kirby looked at each other, confused.

"I'm betting you can't talk but you can understand me," the Normal Ace Spirit sighed. "My name is Jody Summer, and I'm one of Captain Falcon's friends. Those racers may not look like it, but they are nasty and rotten to the core, competing for a prize that really isn't there and spending the rest of their eternal lives on the road, never running out of fuel, never taking their feet off the gas pedals…" Kirby and Villager looked back on the race track, wondering what she meant by that.

"Besides," Jody continued, "if you want to continue with your travels, you would have to drive down this road to get to your destination. I could lend you my hovercar but seeing as how you two look underage and don't even have a driver's license, there's really nothing you can do to get through here. If an adult were to accompany you, there would be an exception as long as he or she can drive. Until then, it looks like you kids will have to scram." Kirby and Villager looked down in disappointment, but the pink puffball suddenly remembered he can create Warp Stars out of thin air, and instantly spawned one right in front of him. As Kirby and Villager quickly hopped on the Warp Star, Jody Summer merely shook her head.

"And magical stars you can create out of nothing don't count either," Jody objected. The Warp Star shattered into tiny little projectiles, and Villager and Kirby dropped onto the ground. Villager patted Kirby's back, and the two fighters walked away in grief, knowing there's no way through their destination without a vehicle suitable for racing. When the pink demon and the Smashville mayor were walking away from the race track, hearing the zooming of cars, gas explosions, and terrible swearing in the distance, they sat down on the soft, green grass, plumed out of ideas. Before any one of them knew what to do next, the ground suddenly started rumbling underneath them. Thorns emerged from the ground, surrounding Kirby and Villager. As the two young warriors knew what happened next, Flowey in his demonic state appeared from the earth, laughing maliciously.

"I told you I'd be back, kid!" Flowey hissed, staring at Kirby with soulless eyes. Villager saw the terrifying state the monster flower is in, trembling and afraid with a chopping axe in his hands.

"Now it's time we all play a little game!" Flowey continued. "You two win, you get free access to the race track you so want to pass through! Oh, don't think I didn't hear you wimps." Villager and Kirby looked at the enormous flower, accepting the challenge.

"You want to go? Okay then!" Flowey replied. Creating a barrier out of his own thorns, the flower from the Monster Realm dragged the two fighters deep underground, all the way into a small bed of daffodils. Villager looked up, seeing only a tiny speck of light from the afternoon sun. Kirby, meanwhile, watched Flowey revert back to his original form, looking as peaceful as ever.

"This is like the world I grew up in," Flowey said. "Here are a couple of pretty easy challenges for you to beat in order to find one of the many keys to finding a way out of Gallia. However… if you lose, your souls are mine and you'll be trapped with me underground FOREVER!" A devil's smile lurked on Flowey's face, slightly frightening the two young fighters.

"Good luck!" Flowey laughed, disappearing into the ground. Kirby looked back on Villager, ready to take on the challenges. As the two warriors went traveling through the darkness, a mysterious figure suddenly grabbed Villager, surprising them yet again. Kirby freaked out, pulling out a hammer set on flames. As Villager was struggling, the mysterious figure's eyes suddenly started glowing red, stepping out of the shadows. A Supporter Ness clothed in black was grabbing Villager, disappearing into the darkness and leaving Kirby alone to fight an incoming swarm of Primids which appeared out of nowhere.

Villager quickly woke up after he was let go, noticing the setting around him was some sort of futuristic race. The wind was blowing into the Smashville mayor's face, and his balance was starting to get lost. The Villager quickly held on for dear life on hovercars zooming on the track, jumping over watery graves and landing with heavy bumps. He was on the Big Blue stage. Villager quickly stood up, noticing he was standing on Captain Falcon's Blue Falcon. Standing on the Blood Hawk, right in front of Villager, was the black-clothed Ness Supporter. On his side, two more puppet fighters walked to his side – one being Fox McCloud dressed up like Wolf O' Donnell, the other being Sonic with violet quills and neon purple cuffs. Just like the hovercars, the Supporters moved at crazy-fast speeds, including Villager.

Trying to hop from the Blue Falcon to the Fire Stingray, Villager attempted on avoiding the ground, firing his slingshot at the three Supporters, who were jumping above him. The Fox Supporter began shooting lasers with his blaster, and the Sonic Supporter was about to use his homing attack. As Villager jumped out the way in time, the Support Ness unleashed PK Fire. The Smashville mayor managed to pocket the projectile and throw it back, sending the black-clothed PSI puppet fighter in front of the hovercars, and they were not slowing down once they hit the Supporter Ness.

Meanwhile, inside the mysterious underground lair, Kirby began inhaling and spitting out the first few Primids, trying to survive in the Shadow Bug swarm for as long as he could. He pulled out Sir Kibble's Cutter ability, slashing with a downward strike and cutting some of the Primids in half. With a fiery hammer, the pink demon whacked a few more, floating up into the air and landing with his Stone ability.

Back on the Big Blue stage, Villager had already just managed to knock out the Fox and Sonic Supporters, throwing them with his bug-catching net behind the hovercars and making them hit the road, instantly hitting the blast zone. The black-clothed Ness suddenly walked towards the Smashville mayor, ready to use a PK Flash since Villager was at high damage. The Villager luckily pulled out a helmet with two red balloons attached to them and floated away to the front of the hovercars, and it was only a split-second since all the fighters were moving so fast. Since the Supporters are merely created without a soul and without intelligence from another, a Spirit that was forced to possess the closest thing can either be very smart or really dumb. Either way, the Ness Supporter jumped up into the air, ready for a downward kick. Once Villager's balloons were starting to turn black, the Smashville mayor instantly took off his helmet, hopping onto the Big Blue as the puppet fighter landed on the road in front of the hovercars, unaware of what Villager was planning. After the Blood Hawk hit the Ness Supporter, Villager tossed a bowling ball onto the puppet PSI boy, instantly taking the Ness Supporter into the blast zone.

Once the Big Blue stage collapsed, Villager saw himself suspended in the air, pointing a Spirit Sniper at the Spirit behind the Ness Supporter's possession as well as the Fox and Sonic clones – a Normal Advanced Blood Falcon. A barrier formed around the Spirit, spinning around crazy as usual with only a small hole available for shooting. With a perfect snipe as usual, Villager hit Blood Falcon, freeing him from Galeem's control. The Smashville mayor then landed in the swarm of Primids next to a wounded Kirby, pulling out his cutting axe and going on a killing spree. Primid heads were decapitated, Shadow Bug juices spilled everywhere like blood, and Villager was standing next to Kirby this whole time, having the pink puffball's back even though his red shirt was stained with the dark-purple splotches of his fell victims. The surviving Primids then collapsed into Shadow Bugs, retreating into the darkness. The Blood Falcon Spirit that was rescued before went into Kirby's body, absorbed into the stone inside the pink puffball.

Putting away the axe in his magical pocket, Villager looked down on the ground to see a wounded Kirby, showing a pretty sad face as he showed caring for the pink puffball. Kirby slowly sat up, shaking his head with tears in his eyes. The both of them knew the mission to defeat Galeem was impossible since not only did he abduct, torture, and possess their friends, but he also had the Mii Fighters and Tabuu under his control, and with the God of Construction the Subspace Army and all the bosses that were hired to spread across the last remaining world. Villager, however, patted Kirby on the back, understanding that it's going to be okay, even though they were cut off from their friends and forced to split up. Grabbing Kirby's stubby hand with his own, Villager lifted Kirby onto his feet, ready to fight for the greater good, against the Seraph of Order. With the two young warriors walking down the path they were on, it was only about a few minutes before Flowey popped out of the ground again, appearing in his cute form.

"Looks like you beat the first two challenges… and at the same time too," Flowey spoke. "One last challenge to complete. Either win or suffer." Stage lights suddenly flashed on in front of the two young fighters, and a robot named Mettaton appeared from the stage, pulling out a handheld mike.

"And now... the moment you two have been waiting for…" Mettaton spoke in a robotic voice, with Flowey disappearing underground. The spotlights started swirling around in circles while a mysterious figure emerged from below the stage. The stranger's eyes were closed, so there was no telling if the figure was under Galeem's control or not.

"Your last challenge!" Mettaton cheered, pointing at the area the stranger was standing in, with the spotlights turning towards Kirby's and Villager's goal.

"Cap…Captain F…Fal…con!" Kirby stammered, with Villager holding him back.

"And not just any Captain Falcon," Mettaton continued, speeding towards the bounty hunter on one wheel. "A Captain Falcon Primary under the control of Black Shadow! And it's all under Lord Galeem's order!" Captain Falcon opened his eyes, revealing the glowing-red like all the others. An image of Black Shadow flashed on Captain Falcon's chest, letting Villager and Kirby know who they were up against.

"We wouldn't know for sure if either Galeem's slave or two kids would win, so place your bets!" Mettaton finished before Black Shadow in Captain Falcon's body grabbed the talk show-host robot.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Black Shadow's voice spoke, ripping Mettaton's circuits out and tossing the remains onto the floor. "I think these two boys get the idea…" The Captain Falcon Primary then looked at Kirby and Villager, barely smiling maliciously. Then, Black Shadow began laughing.

"Out of all these brave challengers, only two babies step up to the plate to fight me?" the Captain Falcon Primary asked, poking Kirby's soft, cuddly cheek.

"Pathetic," Black Shadow's voice spoke, turning his back on the two young warriors.

"Why don't you run back home to your mommies while you're at it? Go on…" Black Shadow continued. However, Kirby and Villager clenched their simple fists, refusing to take a step away.

"You still want to fight?" the Captain Falcon Primary asked. "Alright then… but it's only because you asked to suffer…" Black Shadow inside Captain Falcon's body then grabbed Kirby and Villager, watching the two boys squirm.

"Now who should I go for…?" Black Shadow's voice asked. "Well… it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Spawning a golden cage out of nowhere, the Captain Falcon Primary tossed Villager in, holding Kirby as the Smashville mayor struggled with the bars.

"Think of it as a little detention as I give the only survivor of Galeem's attack a simple lesson in respect for elders…" Black Shadow continued, squeezing Kirby's pillow-like body tighter. Floating up into the air, the Captain Falcon Primary vanished through a portal, taking the pink puffball with him. After Kirby woke up, he looked around, noticing the flat stage and futuristic background, although the sky itself looked somewhat more polluted. It was the Final Destination version of the Port Town Aero Dive. Kirby saw that the Captain Falcon Primary's body was shifting, creating a black cape and a horned mask on his head. He glared at the pink puffball with glowing-red eyes, laughing.

"You scared yet?" Black Shadow's voice asked, attempting to frighten Kirby. The pink puffball was not moved and merely running towards the possessed Captain Falcon with a hammer set on fire, swinging ferociously. Once the Captain Falcon Primary was ready to attack, his fiery moves emitted black flames, attempting to hit the fast-moving pink puffball. Once Kirby jumped up in the air, he transformed into a brick his size, slamming downward on Black Shadow. Since the Primary warrior was also close enough, Kirby quickly inhaled Captain Falcon's body, obtaining the bounty hunter's Copy ability. Everything went black for the pink demon, and Captain Falcon's helmet appeared on his face. Captain Falcon's Fighter Spirit took over Kirby.

"If it isn't my old enemy Black Shadow," Captain Falcon's voice spoke from Kirby's body. "Care for a supersonic slugging?"

"Bring it on!" Black Shadow inside Captain Falcon's body roared, his fists set on black flames. Kirby with Captain Falcon taking control of his body now jumped high into the air, using a Falcon Kick and diving down straight for the puppet fighter's chest. Kirby's stubby arms then began rapidly jabbing right at the Captain Falcon Primary. With a simple Raptor Boost, Kirby grabbed ahold of the possessed Captain Falcon, tossing him up into the air without Black Shadow even laying a hand on him. Afterwards, Captain Falcon inside Kirby kicked forward, making his nonexistent knee hit right at the puppet fighter and deal electrical damage. Once Black Shadow grabbed ahold of the stage's ledge, the last thing he saw was the pink demon himself charging up his signature move: the Falcon Punch. That fiery hit sent the Captain Falcon Primary flying into the blast zone, with a confetti blast following soon after and the Port Town Aero Dive disintegrating into darkness.

Captain Falcon, who was still inside Kirby's body, was pointing a Spirit Sniper at the supersonic slugger's body, being surrounded by a spinning barrier created by the Master Legendary Spirit of Black Shadow. With careful aim, Kirby's body fired Captain Falcon's Fighter Spirit through the barrier, breaking the Galeem Lock and freeing Black Shadow from the Seraph of Order's control. A bright light flashed in Kirby's eyes, blinding the area and transporting the pink puffball to the visions again.

* * *

Kirby started rubbing his head, with the Smash Ball on his forehead and his golden irises and rainbow aura present. He was back on the floating island where the younger dragons learned how to fly, though the place seemed a bit different. For example, the flowers that were blooming on the island were just sprouts, and not many of their kind. Some of the plants were even older in age and taller in height. The pink puffball suddenly remembered the three dragons that were the main focus in his visions: Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima. Running to the edge of the oak dock from before, Kirby looked down on the ground from high above, curious at the rusting trees down below. Just when Kirby was starting to realize what was going on, a swarm of dragons bursted out from the ground, all being led by Flora, their teacher. Dancing in the sky like birds, they were fast and agile, speeding through the air. Once they were finished, the young dragons landed back on the island, passing through Kirby. Flora touched down back on the oak dock, looking at all her students.

"I am most proud of you, class," Flora spoke cheerfully. "You had been training for months with me and now you are one with the sky. Even those who were too afraid to fly before have now conquered their fear of heights. Amazing…"

"Now that were are getting to the end of the year learning from you young flyers," Flora continued, "my time of teaching you is over. Soon, there will be new dragons for me to teach, but I will miss you all terribly. Now you better fly down to your parents. They're waiting for you after being gone for all this time…"

"Goodbye, Ms. Flora," the young dragons replied. As the already-trained dragons flew down to meet their parents, Kirby managed to catch a glimpse of Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix heading to their waiting parents. The pink puffball jumped off from such a dangerous height, but his small weight helped him float down to the ground while carrying a large breath of air in his expansive lungs. Once Kirby dropped down onto the earth, he saw the three young dragons, now a bit older, greet their parents Metallio and Toropikaru.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Ultima cried, hugging her parents with her brothers.

"So glad you can join us back into our nest again," Metallio spoke, rubbing the children's heads. "How was your flight training?"

"Amazing," Galeem answered. "We were soaring through the air like birds! There were a few students that were afraid at first, but eventually got the hang of it."

"Glad to hear no one got hurt," Toropikaru said. "Now let's go. It's going to be dark soon and we had just prepared dinner back at the cave." Taking off into the sky like jets, the whole family went flying off back home with Kirby running behind them.

Once the pink puffball managed to arrive at the cave the family of dragons was staying at, he saw they were all asleep, with the central campfire dying out naturally. The night outside was peaceful, with the moon gleaming brightly in all its glory that it even cast shadows on the grassy fields down below, and the stars painted pictures in the roof of the sky. Just then, Kirby saw some sort of firefly-like dragon gliding towards the cave, fluttering his insect wings with his tail glowing a bright yellow. Quietly, the firefly dragon took out a letter from the bag he was carrying on his back, slipping it at the entrance of the cave before taking off into the night. That was what drove Kirby curious.

Morning arrived, and the three dragon siblings were just waking up from their nests before they heard their parents call out for them.

"Phoenix! Galeem! Ultima! Come here quickly!" Metallio called. Quickly rising up from their sleep, the three young dragons ran to their mother and father, who had just opened the letter at the doorstep. When the three young dragons peeked between their parents, the letter read:

 _To: Metallio and Toropikaru_

 _It has come to our intention that we would set you a reminder for your children to come join our Dragosmo Training Camp. We believe it is time that these three young dragons are ready to learn about big responsibilities and learn how to control all seven Rainbolements. Lord Ceresor's sons Sozo and Hakai will take good care of your offspring and train them to be the best in the planet of Arcus. Hopefully you have said your farewells to your children since in the next two weeks, your children are going to learn how to be the land's guardians for ten more years. Please see to it that our new students join us at the Dragosmo Training Camp._

 _Regards,_

 _The Dragosmos_

"Did you understand what the letter said?" Toropikaru told the three children, tears of joy in her eyes. "You're all going to be learning how to become guardians!" Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix could not believe what they just heard. In excitement, the three young dragons hugged to their parents, knowing they had been waiting for this day to arrive.

"We're going to be so proud of you…" Metallio whispered, the small family embracing the moment. Kirby watched the three young dragons become so proud of themselves, and it wasn't long before the Smash Ball on his forehead began flashing again. The area around him flashed in a bright white, and Kirby suddenly woke up as returning from a nightmare. Sweat was rolling down in tiny beads on the pink puffball's soft body. When Kirby looked around, he saw that Villager was free from his golden cage, and they were still in the dark underground that Flowey sent them off to. To their right, Kirby and Villager saw Captain Falcon, back to normal and lying down weakened on the ground. The pink puffball ran to the unconscious bounty hunter, holding his head up and trying to wake him up. As Captain Falcon was sitting up, he looked at the two fighters who saved him.

* * *

"….Kirby?" Captain Falcon asked. "I really don't know how to say this but… thanks, kid." Kirby smiled back, rubbing his face. Once the bounty hunter was getting up on his feet, Flowey appeared behind them, giggling. The three recruited warriors turned around to see the small monster flower, looking innocent and child-like.

"Bravo," Flowey spoke. "I would be applauding for you, but sadly I don't have any leaves to clap…" Captain Falcon clenched his fists, alongside Villager and Kirby.

"Listen: you won your prize, you take him back," Flowey continued. "Captain Falcon's the only one who knows how to drive that Blue Falcon of his. Consider yourself lucky, kid. Now get outta my sight until we meet again…" Roots covered in thorns then emerged from the ground, curling up into a sphere around the three warriors and instantly transporting them high into the air. Once the thorn-coated roots retreated back into the ground, Kirby, Villager, and Captain Falcon saw they were back in Gallia, right next to the race track.

"Poyo-poyo," Kirby said, grabbing Captain Falcon's hand and running.

"Where you going?" Captain Falcon asked, being dragged along. Villager followed shortly after them, and the three were heading to the entrance where Jody Summer was blocking them off.

"I told you two kids before – you can't pass through here without a legal guardian," Jody spoke. Just then, the Spirit looked up to see Captain Falcon right in front of her.

"Oh my… Captain Falcon!" Jody continued. "I didn't notice you were here. Come on. Follow me." The Normal Ace Spirit then took the three fighters to the starting area of the track, where it was just a one-way path connecting into the race. At the beginning of it was the Blue Falcon. As Captain Falcon walked over to it to feel his vehicle good as new, he looked at Jody again.

"Figured you would need this in order to go through the race track," Jody answered. "And I don't know why, but for some reason the salty racers on the track mysteriously… vanished, although I swore I saw dangerous-looking roots engulf them all without a trace. Either way, I hope that strange incident might help you with your journey…"

"Okay," Captain Falcon answered, jumping into his hovercar's cockpit. "Get in, boys." Villager and Kirby hopped into the Blue Falcon, watching the cockpit door shut itself and the engine power up.

"Good luck!" Jody cheered as the three fighters drove off in the Blue Falcon towards the race track, zooming off at an incredibly fast speed. In the distance of the race track, simply sitting at the edge of the cliffside Kirby and Villager were walking down, Flowey was watching the Blue Falcon speed off, feeling a little guilty about himself.

"Hopefully Lord Galeem doesn't know what I did to help these guys, what with stopping those nasty racers racing on the track and all," Flowey said to himself, looking at the ground in worry. "I regret saying this but… I feel like I have a bit of a heart left in me… What am I saying? I didn't get rid of those racers! But who...? Galeem would never turn against his crooks... unless something goes wrong..." As Flowey vanished into the ground once more, a mysterious figure watched through the bushes. Two claws on each hand stuck out through the tiny leaves, and big violet eyes gleamed behind the shrub. The eyes flashed a faint white, possibly confirming whatever this creature is... must be the one who helped them.


	36. Pt 36: Lost in a Strange New World

On the route Marth was rescued, the Hero-King, alongside Mario and Joker, went traveling near the mushroom gorge while looking for more of their companions. Just then the Phantom Thief of Hearts stopped to take a look at the never-ending abyss. Mario and Marth stopped for a brief moment to notice Joker simply having his mind wander off as he kept looking in a fixed direction.

"What is it?" Marth asked, heading over to the Phantom Thief of Hearts.

"That one of your friends?" Joker answered in the form of a question, his red-gloved hand pointing at the middle of the mushroom gorge. Mario and Marth looked at where Joker was looking, surprised by what they saw. On the largest mushroom they had ever came across, the Olimar Primary was sitting, waiting patiently for challengers as his glowing-red eyes gleamed, with his Pikmin simply sitting there like voodoo dolls.

"Yep, that's-a one of them," Mario answered. The red plumber then noticed a line of smaller mushrooms lining up as some sort of pathway to the Olimar Primary.

"We would try hopping on those mushrooms," Mario continued, "but I'm afraid they're too little to properly walk across. Their stems aren't strong enough to support our weight…"

"That's a total bummer," Marth spoke.

"I know-a," Mario replied.

"Why don't we try finding some sort of Spirit that can help make those mushrooms bigger so we can hop to and fro with no sweat and no worry of falling to our deaths?" Joker asked.

"I suppose…" Mario responded. "But first we're going to have to look for one. Come on." The red plumber then walked off near the edge of the abyss, alongside the Hero-King and the Phantom Thief of Hearts.

"Besides, after the Forgotten Resistance had dropped us off back where we were, they gave us some more of the kinky devices," Mario continued, revealing the watch-like gadget on his wrist.

"Yeah, especially when that dragon-clothed woman looked at me like she had some sort of crush on me," Joker remarked. "Anyway, where do you think we should be looking for that Spirit to make those mushrooms larger?"

"…Maybe in that obviously creepy cave…?" Marth asked, pointing at an abandoned mineshaft right next to the three adventurers. There was some sort of echoing noise coming from the darkness, and cobwebs were decorated at the corners of the entrance. A lump in his throat, Mario swallowed and peered into the empty blackness.

"I guess…" Mario responded. Walking into the mineshaft, Marth and Joker followed the red plumber soon after. The three fighters looked around the darkness with only the light at the entrance to guide them. But even that light was short-lived as Mario, Joker, and Marth progressed.

"Damn," Joker said, his voice echoing through the shaft. "This place is dark as hell. Mario, you brought a light?"

"Uh… no," Mario answered. "That doesn't mean I can make one." With a flick of his wrists, Mario generated a fireball in his hands, and the glowing flames generated a light. The cavern walls glittered with jewels of all sorts, and there were rusted pickaxes and derailed minecarts lying on the rocky ground.

"These gemstones look gorgeous," Marth said. "Maybe if we were to mine them and sell them for equipment and upgrades, maybe we can patch up and buff our ship."

"Suppose," Mario replied.

"You boys hear something?" Joker asked, hearing voices growing louder as the trio went down the cave. The Phantom Thief of Hearts then ran off, grabbing Mario and Marth by the hands. Once Mario generated another fireball in his hands, the three warriors were shocked by what they saw: a Bayonetta Supporter in her Witch with No Memories red costume she bore when she woke from a hundred-year slumber cornering a Master Ace Spirit, who was Toadette in particular. In Toadette's hands, she carried a pickaxe, trying to swing it at the Bayonetta Supporter.

"It's Toadette!" Mario exclaimed. "We've gotta help her!" The Bayonetta Supporter quickly turned her head to see the three fighters, glaring at them with glowing-red eyes. With her sleeves magically unfurling, the puppet fighter whipped her long, black hair and grabbed the three warriors by their arms, generating some sort of portal. It transported the Bayonetta Supporter somewhere, and with her Joker, Marth, and Mario.

Once the three recruited fighters woke up, they each saw they were in some sort of cardboard setting, with the background clearly made out of construction paper and cotton balls as the dotted clouds glued on. There was a windmill and a green pipe at the right, dropping down into some sort of abyss. It was the Paper Mario stage, and at the edge of the platform was the Bayonetta Supporter with a Star Rod in her hand.

The Bayonetta Supporter jumped into the air, butterflies and roses trailing behind her as she used the Star Rod's power and launched little but strong stars. Joker was the first one to avoid the incoming fire, pulling out his pistol and shooting bullets. Marth then ran behind the puppet fighter, slashing at her back with his powerful tipper, and Mario slammed his fist in a downward punch, knocking the Bayonetta Supporter down into the cardboard ground. Just then, a giant electric fan appeared behind the land, and all the warriors could not see themselves. The wind from the fan was strong enough to blow everything to the abyss, and each one of the fighters were struggling to find out where they were.

"I'm going after Bayonetta," Marth told the team, climbing onto the green pipe as the Bayonetta Supporter held on tight. "You two stay where you are while I take care of this…" Noticing the warping area, the Hero-King figured out his own location and tried focusing on the Bayonetta Supporter, whose Star Rod was still visible in her hand. Using the wind as an advantage, Marth kept slashing at the invisible Bayonetta, sending her off the edge to the right. With precise timing, once everyone turned visible again, the Hero-King used a graceful downward slash, with the tip sending the Bayonetta Supporter into the blast zone. Once the windmill portion of the Paper Mario stage vanished, Mario and Joker saw themselves back in the cave, watching Marth point a Spirit Sniper at the Bayonetta Supporter. The puppet fighter then disintegrated into Shadow Bugs and retreated back into the darkness, leaving behind a glowing-blue Kammy Koopa of the Normal Novice type.

However, instead of simply flying off, Kammy Koopa merely just hovered there on her broomstick, knowing she had been freed from Galeem's clutches. The three warriors looked at Toadette, who was attacked before.

"It's okay…" Mario said, kneeling down close to the Master Ace Spirit. "You're alright. We took care of your rival for you."

"Thanks, kind travelers," Toadette replied. "I was simply walking through here to find some beautiful jewels for my collection of prized wonders, when I was suddenly attacked by a mean woman in the darkness. This is really what I get for taking a few stones?"

"Well, we're right now looking for some Sprits to aid us," Marth replied. "Do you think you can assist?" Toadette sat on the ground, thinking about an answer while Kammy Koopa floated above her.

"Where did you guys come from?" Toadette asked.

"From a ship in the sky," Joker answered. "It looks like it was built from a low budget and needs to be fixed as quickly as possible."

"Do we really want to do this?" Mario asked the Phantom Thief of Hearts. "I mean… we just saved her. We really don't want to push all the Spirits we saved from Galeem to keep working."

"Listen, tubby," Joker objected, "Galeem obviously knows what we're doing and plans to attack when we least expect it. The more Spirits we rescue from the Seraph of Order, the faster we can prepare for a full-on attack. First, we would have to mine and gather resources and sell them for upgrades, and then we would train the Spirits and us to become stronger. Supplies, loot, weapons – these guys gather it all. I'm just saying we build up their faith by freeing them from the puppet fighters, we create a resistance by working together."

"I suppose…" Toadette replied, holding onto the pickaxe she was wielding. "Maybe if you bring down at least four members of your crew we could get started."

"Sounds okay, I guess," Marth said. "Come on, guys. We need to get out of here…" Marth, Mario, and Joker all then walked out of the glittering cave with the Spirits they found, walking towards the light of the outside world. Once they were all outside the cave, the three warriors then departed from the mineshaft's entrance, leaving Toadette and Kammy Koopa behind. The trio then walked towards the abyss with the giant mushrooms, looking at the Olimar Primary at the center.

"How are we gonna save him?" Mario asked. "All we did was free another Spirit from Galeem, but what do we do?"

"Just leave it to me," Kammy Koopa spoke behind the three warriors. Flying from behind, the Normal Novice Spirit pulled out her wand, floating over the chasm.

"You sure you can help us?" Marth said.

"Of course I can," Kammy Koopa answered. "Just because we're Spirits doesn't mean we still have our powers. In gratitude of saving me, I want to do something for you three kind gentlemen in return." With a flick of her wand, Kammy Koopa cast her magic on the small mushrooms, making their caps and stems quickly expand in size. Now there were just as big as the larger fungi, creating a pathway for Mario, Joker, and Marth to cross.

"I suppose you're all welcome," Kammy Koopa said, putting away her wand. "If you ever need me, I'll be at the cave you boys were at a while ago." Flying off, the Normal Novice Spirit left the three fighters to take care of business they had.

"Are you sure this is-a safe…?" Mario asked, his foot touching the thin layer of mucus on the now-enlarged mushroom cap. Joker simply jumped on top of the mushroom in front of the other two, and the weight was perfectly supported as the mushroom itself wasn't even budging.

"It's perfectly fine," Joker answered, hopping to the next mushroom. The other two warriors then jumped from the ground to the mushroom cap, following the Phantom Thief of Hearts. Jumping from cap to cap, the three fighters kept going deeper into the center of the abyss, the bases of their shoes now coated in mucus from the fungi. After walking down the newly-created mushroom path, Joker, Mario, and Marth were now in front of the Olimar Primary. The Olimar Primary merely looked at them, his voodoo doll-like Pikmin surrounding him.

Instead of an introduction, the Olimar Primary instantly grabbed Marth by the neck, and golden cages spawned around Mario and Joker. Once the Phantom Thief of Hearts saw himself trapped, he tried bending the bars to escape.

"What is this?" Joker asked.

"This is what happens for any encounter with a Primary," Mario answered. "First the Primary picks a challenger at random, then he locks up the rest until the puppet fighter itself is defeated." A vortex swarmed around the Olimar Primary, transporting both the puppet fighter and Marth to another location.

Once Marth was slowly adjusting his eyesight, he looked around and saw he was in a different area: the Final Destination version of Distant Planet. Right in front of the Hero-King, the Olimar Primary laughed in a voice he never really had before. A white bandana tinted red on the inside appeared inside Olimar's helmet on his head, and two white boxing gloves appeared in front of him. An image of the Master Legendary Spirit taking control of Olimar's body flashed, showing it to be none other than Knuckle Joe, one of the Assist Trophies said to have been under Galeem's control earlier.

The Olimar Primary began throwing his team of three Pikmin at Marth, the little creatures clinging onto him and headbutting his body. The pain from the Pikmin was rather painful, but Marth slashed with his sword to get them off his back. Knuckle Joe inside Olimar's body then began using his Smash Punch projectile, launching a flaming blue orb at the Hero-King. Marth managed to hit the Pikmin off his body, watching them disintegrate into ghosts colored like their bodies. The Hero-King then began using his Dancing Blade technique, slashing rapidly at the Olimar Primary.

Just when Marth was about to land a powerful hit on his rival, Knuckle Joe began pulling out three more Pikmin, jabbing at the Hero-King with Vulcan Jab. However, Marth managed to counter-attack with his Exalted Falchion, blocking the Olimar Primary's Smash Punch move and reflecting most of the damage and knockback in return.

The captured fighter was now flying off the stage, with his Pikmin diving in after him. Purple winged Pikmin with red compound eyes spawned behind the Olimar Primary, carrying him into the air. As Marth looked at his rival attempting to recover, he noticed all those Pikmin was weighting him down. This was the Hero-King's chance for a comeuppance. Marth then gracefully jumped off the stage, slashing downward. Since he was above the captured fighter, Marth spiked the Olimar Primary, winning the fight as the blast zone echoed with a powerful confetti explosion. The stage darkened and the Final Destination version of Distant Planet collapsed into Shadow Bugs.

Marth found himself floating in the darkness, frozen in place and pointing a Spirit Sniper at the Knuckle Joe Spirit, who was shielding Olimar's body. The only hole in the barrier was blinking rapidly as the forcefield was constantly spinning around. With a careful aim, Marth hit the Hocotate alien's body, freeing both Olimar and the Master Legendary Spirit that possessed him. A white mist floated out of Olimar's rescued body, floating out of the darkness.

Back at the mushroom gorge, both Joker and Mario saw the golden cages that held them hostage suddenly vanished into dust as they saw Marth appear floating down to them, carrying Olimar in his arms. After the Hero-King laid Olimar down on the giant cap the group was standing on, a red Pikmin, yellow Pikmin, and blue Pikmin walked to the Hocotate alien's side. The three creatures then tapped his crystal-clear helmet, waking Olimar up. The glow of Galeem's possession was gone in the fighter, and Olimar quickly sat up to understand what was going on.

"Look who's back," Mario said. The three Pikmin hugged the Hocotate captain, glad that their leader has returned.

"So glad you've returned, Olimar," Marth replied. Joker merely stood there, confused.

"Uh… who's that short guy?" Joker asked. Marth and Mario turned around, noticing the Phantom Thief of Hearts had never seen the likes of the Hocotate alien before.

"Olimar, this is-a Joker," Mario told the planetary explorer. Olimar then stood up, bowing his head in thanks while not saying a word, eternally grateful.

"We better get going," Marth objected. "There are still a lot more of our friends in Galeem's clutches, and we need to save them as fast as we can while gathering resources, upgrades for the Undying Light, and training bases for raising an army of the Spirits we have managed to rescue."

"Let's get-a going then," Mario finished. The small group, now four, started walking down the mushroom cap pathway down to the edge of a forest.

* * *

Piranha Plant, Mii Swordfighter, and Sheik were simply walking from the red-roofed village to the plains, having no idea what surprises were awaiting them next. No matter where they were, the objective was simple: rescue every fighter on their team and defeat Galeem.

"I had never wanted this since the beginning," the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn sighed, looking down in sadness on his face.

"Well, we obviously know the connection between the Subspace Army and the Mii Fighters, but our worst enemies working together with the greatest race in Arcadia… this is just overkill…" Sheik placed a hand on the Mii Swordfighter, understanding his pain.

"We all pretty much know we've got a foe even worse than Tabuu, but not even the Construct God himself can help us now. It's up to us to return these Spirits and ourselves back to our homeworlds," Sheik continued. "We will save the other two Ultimates and your people. Don't fret about it." Just then, Piranha Plant noticed something in the distance. Running in that flower pot of his, the carnivorous flower dashed off.

"The plant must've found something," Sheik said. "Come on." The Sheikah and the Mii Swordfighter then ran off, following the Piranha Plant. The three fighters then noticed what the generic flower found: a canyon filled with light geysers with a stone bridge to cross over.

"Whatever's on the other side of that light chasm might help us," Mii Swordfighter explained. "Let's go." However, once Sheik set foot on the stone bridge, the ground underneath them started rumbling. The three warriors quickly looked around, and Balder appeared, his face coated in gold and peacock feathers trailing behind him. He was standing in the middle of the stone bridge, blocking the path.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Balder objected.

"Get out the way, old man," Mii Swordfighter snarled. "We'll win against Lord Galeem if it's the last thing we do!"

"Old man…?" Balder chuckled in question, adjusting his monocle. "You know it's rude to call elderly people such cruel names. And just for that…" The Norse god of light then pulled out a golden dagger shaped like a peacock feather, with the hollow shaft serving as the sharpened tip. With a powerful throw, the golden dagger zipped between Sheik and the Mii Swordfighter, hitting the Piranha Plant's stem. The weapon Balder threw vanished, and the carnivorous flower started jerking around in seizures, feeling the magic pulsing through his stem. Piranha Plant was eventually engulfed in a bright light, growing marvelously in size. For whatever reason, Sheik started getting bad memories from a decade ago.

"Hopefully you wouldn't have to fight against the internal reincarnation of a familiar foe," Balder snarled, floating into the air. After the Norse god vanished, the canyon of light erupted brightening geysers, blocking the stone bridge.

"What did Balder mean… internal reincarnation…?" the Mii Swordfighter asked.

"I think somehow related to a recognizable enemy in some way or form," Sheik answered, pulling out her daggers as the Piranha Plant finished transforming. Both Balder and Sheikah were right: for whatever reason, the generic enemy from Mario's world they had befriended is somehow the re-embodiment of a rival who played a major role in the Subspace Army - Petey Piranha. The towering monster stood before the two fighters, saliva dripping from his mouth and two empty cages being held by his two leaves at the areas where the arms should be. With a powerful roar from Petey Piranha, both the Mii Swordfighter and Sheik were ready to fight the abomination while rubbing off some of the spit that dripped onto their clothes.

The ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn lunged at Petey Piranha, slashing rapidly while his weapon was set ablaze. Sheik pulled out her knife and needles, flinging them fast at the mutated flower. Petey Piranha then started swinging the cages around, jumping high into the air and landing with a powerful earthquake. Both Sheik and Mii Swordfighter quickly hopped out of the way, watching out for the powerful twirling of Petey Piranha's cages. His two legs kept the monster steady as he suddenly started spinning in place, the cages of his swinging harshly at the two fighters who were trying to save their friend. Sheik and Mii Swordfighter were instantly whacked around, flying off at an incredibly fast speed in opposite directions. Luckily, the spinning attack dazed Petey Piranha greatly, giving the two warriors a chance to attack. With powerful slashes, Sheik and Mii Swordfighter attacked individual cages, knowing that they served as Petey Piranha's health supply. Once the monster quickly stirred out from his daze, he was instantly knocked out as the two cages he carried bursted open, causing him to instantly collapse.

The ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn and the illusive Sheikah ran towards the wounded Petey Piranha, watching the golden dagger that infected the plant fly out into the sky, engulfing the creature in golden light once more. Petey Piranha shrank down to a normal size, and he transformed back into the Piranha Plant from before. Both Sheik and Mii Swordfighter tried picking the carnivorous flower up, concerned about his health since he was instantly somehow revealed to have been the rebirth of the monster they had just attacked. The Piranha Plant quickly jerked up, unaware of what happened.

"You're okay," Sheik said, rubbing Piranha Plant's head. "We just had to take care of some personal business, that's all…" The Mii Swordfighter then just remembered the stone bridge they were just about to cross. However, he noticed the geysers of light emerging harder from the crack, engulfing the pathway and causing the stone bridge to become hot to the touch.

"Looks like we can't cross it for now," Mii Swordfighter addressed. Both Sheik and Piranha Plant walked towards the stone bridge, with the Sheikah and the Mii Fighter shielding their eyes a bit from the intense brightness.

"How about we head to that peculiar road over there and look for something that can help us?" Sheik asked, pointing to a race track. The other two fighters noticed where the Sheikah was pointing at, aware of what she was talking about. The group of three then ran towards the race track, unaware that they would meet up with some familiar faces again…


	37. Pt 37: The Champion of Hyrule

Driving through the race track, the Blue Falcon raced all the way around to an opening in a new path, and Captain Falcon, Kirby, and Villager were in the vehicle. After stopping on the soft grass outside the track, the three fighters hopped out of the Blue Falcon.

"Looks like this is one of two areas we can visit," Captain Falcon said, adjusting his gloves. "Let's just see which Spirits we can rescue for now." However, before Kirby took another step past the race track, the white wisp that emerged from Olimar's rescue absorbed into the pink puffball before he could catch up to Villager and Captain Falcon who just disappeared over a nearby hill. Kirby's eyes flashed the Smash symbol before being engulfed in a bright white, and it all happened right out of nowhere. The environment around the pink demon blinded him, and he fell unconscious like before.

Kirby found himself in the planet of Arcus once more, standing in the soft, fresh grass. This time, the pink puffball was standing on another island in the sky, stretching over a mile across. There was a humongous arena that was shaped much like the Midair Stadium, though it was decorated to look more like a training dojo. At the gateway, Kirby saw Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix fly in with their parents, landing with the stuff they packed in each of their little sacks carried by rope.

"Well, we're here at the place," Metallio spoke, admiring how humongous the place is.

"All we have to do is sign you three in and you're officially part of the Sky Temple Training Arena," Toropikaru replied, looking down at the three young dragons.

"Let's go inside," Toropikaru sighed. Pushing open the door with her left wing, the dragon and her husband walked in with Phoenix, Galeem, and Ultima into the stadium, with the children carrying their sacks by the ropes in their mouths, dragging them in since they were pretty heavy for their size. Once the door closed and the family was inside, Metallio and Toropikaru walked to the sign-in booth between two large doors, where and elderly female dragon was waiting behind a glass window. She had baby-blue scales and her wings were frail and paper-thin.

"Hello there," Toropikaru spoke. "We would like to attend for three newcomer students." The elderly dragon heard what was said to her. She slowly ducked down in her desk, carrying a small pile of papers in her mouth. Once she plopped them in front of her, the elderly dragon shifted them to Metallio and Toropikaru.

"Read these forms carefully and sign them afterwards," the elderly dragon answered in a raspy voice, pushing a tiny bottle of writing ink and a black feather behind the pile of papers. While the mother and father were busy signing the papers, their children were busy waiting, talking about what they plan to do once they were allowed in. Kirby, meanwhile, just watched as usual.

"Isn't this exciting?" Ultima cheered, anxious to know what happens next once she and her brothers go past the doors.

"Totally," Galeem answered. Phoenix looked away, understanding the joy of being here.

"We have got to keep in mind that some of the missions here could be dangerous," Phoenix objected. "Few of them matter in life or death…"

"I think we both understand, Phoenix," Galeem replied. "Which is why I have decided to create an unbreakable oath between the three of us."

"Oh?" Phoenix asked.

"What is it?" Ultima remarked, ready to hear what Galeem had to say.

"That I promise that I would help us stay together to the very end as both friends and family," Galeem answered, sticking out one of his fore legs.

"So do I," Phoenix replied, placing his fore leg on top of Galeem's.

"As is me," Ultima said, laying her fore leg in front of her two brothers. The three young dragons created their group shake, knowing their friendship would last.

"Together forever, no matter what," Galeem said. That was the only thing that Kirby remembered, and the pink puffball himself was beginning to understand what was going on: this was supposedly the origin story of Galeem.

"Galeem, Ultima, Phoenix, come here," Metallio called out. The three young dragons then remembered what was going on and immediately grabbed their own bags, running towards their parents.

"Funds are 15 gold pieces a week per student for budgets," the elderly dragon in the sign-up booth told Toropikaru and Metallio, dragging the signed papers back into her desk. "Thank you and have a nice day, newcomers." The three young dragons were so excited for their first appearance in the Sky Temple Training Arena, dashing towards one of the two doors. However, they managed to stop and look back at their parents. Tears in their eyes, Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix ran towards their mother and father, leaving their sacks at the door. The three siblings then hugged their parents dearly, knowing they'll all miss Toropikaru and Metallio terribly.

"See you in ten years, I guess," Ultima sobbed, feeling the comfort of the parent dragons.

"Please remember to stay together to the end, no matter what," Metallio said to the three young children. "Just know that teamwork and friendship are the key elements to survival." Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima then broke the hug with Metallio and Toropikaru, looking back on them in the sadness of departure as they ran past the door, grabbing the ropes of their bags with their mouths. Kirby kept watching the mother and father looking down in sadness, knowing their nest will be empty for about a decade. The environment around the pink puffball flashed in a bright light, transporting Kirby's subconscious back to the planet of Gallia.

Kirby quickly woke up, finding out the Smash Ball on his forehead was gone, as were also the rainbow aura and golden irises. He then managed to spy Captain Falcon and Villager run back to him, concerned about his health.

"What happened back there?" Captain Falcon asked the pink demon, rubbing his cuddly pillow-like body. "You were missing for five minutes, and not like you can tell us since you can't talk that much." Kirby knew that the stone from Faker could be behind all this. Just then, the pink puffball suddenly saw some people walk towards them from the pathway the trio were originally on. As the strangers walked closer, Villager, Captain Falcon, and Kirby could make up some familiar faces. Walking towards them was none other than Sheik, Piranha Plant, and Mii Swordfighter.

"Kirby!" Sheik cried, noticing the pink puffball with the other two fighters that were just at that race track. The Sheikah and her side of the group then ran towards Kirby, Villager, and Captain Falcon with Mii Swordfighter and Piranha Plant. The six warriors were reunited with each other again.

"I thought that barrier split us up," Sheik said, hugging Kirby.

"Barrier?" Captain Falcon and Mii Swordfighter asked.

"There were three paths that the rest of our friends were forced to take," Sheik answered, standing up. "Apparently, Kirby's team split up and now were disconnected from the gang, as well as some sort of ship that they originally came from…"

"Geez, that's terrible," Captain Falcon said, rubbing the back of his helmet.

"There was also some sort of light bridge on our route," the Mii Swordfighter brought up. "However, Balder happened to show up and now we can't cross it since it's hot to the touch. We were about to cross it before it happened, but the old man supposedly reawakened Petey Piranha in… well…" The ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn pointed at the Piranha Plant, knowing the situation from before. Both Kirby and Captain Falcon were surprised that one of their new travelers was apparently the reincarnation of a monster that worked for Subspace ten years ago.

"That doesn't mean he's not our friend anymore," Sheik interrupted, aware of the situation. "It's just he didn't know what happened and couldn't control himself…"

"And what about the light bridge?" Mii Swordfighter asked, with Piranha Plant walking towards Villager. "It's still out thanks to those flames engulfing the only path across and becoming impossible to get through without something to get us past."

"I just remembered something!" Captain Falcon exclaimed, suddenly remembering another pathway at the race track. The other five fighters turned their attention towards the bounty hunter, wondering what he wanted to say.

"There's another route we can find, back at the road we just wen through," Captain Falcon continued. "Once we hop into my Blue Falcon, we can drive over there and see what we can find to help us…"

"That sounds like a good idea," Sheik answered.

Later, the only one that hopped into the cockpit of the Blue Falcon was Captain Falcon himself. The other five warriors held on tight to the flaps of the hovercar since they all could not fit inside that one vehicle since it was originally designed to have one seat.

"Let's roll," Mii Swordfighter said, clinging on tight to the cockpit's window shield. The Blue Falcon then started speeding off, heading down south through the race track. Since there were no cars for distractions, they went through okay, the Blue Falcon moving at a steady pace so that the forces of the wind and the gravity don't toss the other fighters off. Afterwards, Captain Falcon's hovercar ended up at another area in just a few seconds, connecting to a path deep in a forest. The six warriors left the Blue Falcon at the race track, anxious to see what was waiting for them at the other pathway.

"I… don't really feel like this is the best idea, now that I think about it…" Captain Falcon objected, approaching closer to the forest with the rest of his team.

"Don't you remember what we said?" the Mii Swordfighter asked. "No matter how challenging and frightful, we need to stay together and…"

"…reawaken the undying light. We know," Sheik finished. "Let's just… get this over with…" The six warriors walked into the forest, keeping their eyes open for any intruders. Minutes passed, and Kirby, Villager, Captain Falcon, Sheik, Piranha Plant, and Mii Swordfighter were still traveling through the woods, confused as to why there were no surprises.

"That hill over there seems promising," the Mii Swordfighter remarked, pointing at a barren mound of grass near an ocean.

"Sure sounds peaceful," Sheik said, noticing a tiny point of black on top of the hill. "Suppose it wouldn't hurt if we saw what was on top. Maybe a special prize or maybe a trap."

"Whatever it is, we better be careful," Captain Falcon replied, walking towards the mounds of grass next to Kirby and Piranha Plant. The six warriors were now scaling up the mountain, walking up to the top. Once the team was at the very peak of the hill, there was someone waiting for them. It was none other than Link himself, wearing that blue Champion's Tunic of his and looking away from who he considered his friends.

"So… you were expecting to find something up here?" a mysterious voice spoke from the Link Primary. "Well, you found me – the servant of Demise known as Ghirahim." Ghirahim's image flashed on Link's back, showing off a thin, pale man painted in black diamonds and cloaked in red while a serpent-like tongue flickered outside his devious lips. Once the image vanished, the Link Primary turned around, glaring at the six fighters with glowing-red eyes.

"Suppose you want another fight as usual, huh?" Ghirahim inside Link's body asked, pointing the Master Sword at the warriors.

"Very well, then," the Link Primary finished, not even letting a single fighter answer. Without a second thought, Ghirahim snapped his fingers, creating the golden cages around all the adventurers with only the Mii Swordfighter left free. With his weapon in his hands, the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn looked back on his trapped friends before turning towards the Link Primary.

"Just you and me, kid!" Ghirahim inside Link's body yelled, floating up into the air. A vortex spawned behind the Link Primary, and the captured fighter grabbed ahold of the Mii Fighter, transporting the both of them to another dimension while the other five fighters were struggling in their golden cages.

The Mii Swordfighter slowly stirred up, looking around and noticing he was in Hyrule as it had appeared 100 years after Calamity Ganon's imprisonment. He was standing on the Final Destination version of the Great Plateau Tower, his sword in his hands as he faced the Assist Trophy trapped inside the Champion of Hyrule. A red cape appeared wrapped around the Link Primary's neck, and a long tongue flickered outside the captured Hylian's lips.

"If it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get!" the Mii Swordfighter snarled, dashing towards the Link Primary. The two challengers began clashing swords, tiny sparks flying off with each collision as they danced around each other, avoiding make any contact with the blades. The Link Primary then pulled out small but fast daggers, each one gleaming in red diamonds. They flew in a storm that were in a pattern that the Mii Swordfighter could interpret. However, just as the ex-Ultimate Reborn managed to avoid the daggers, the captured fighter teleported right behind Mii Swordfighter, using one powerful slash behind the Mii's back. The Mii Swordfighter quickly hopped onto his feet, the force of his sword's collision with the Link Primary's Hylian Shield pushing him back and causing him to stagger.

Ghirahim inside Link's body then started flickering his long tongue, dashing super-fast at the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn. The Mii Fighter successfully managed to set his sword on fire, rapidly jabbing at the Link Primary. Once the captured fighter was tossed right in front of him, the Mii Swordfighter unleashed a powerful fiery tornado, catching the Link Primary and engulfing Galeem's servant. Once the captured fighter was back on the ground, his face sooty and his blue tunic partially burned, the Mii Swordfighter conjured up electricity on his blade, using a powerful slash and sending the Link Primary to the blast zone, and with him was Ghirahim's Spirit.

The formula for the victory was the same as usual: the Final Destination version of a particular stage collapses into darkness while Shadow Bugs engulf everything, while the fighter free from Galeem's capture is frozen in midair, pointing the Spirit Sniper at a spinning barrier with a tiny hole to perfectly hit the Master Legendary Spirit guarding the awakened fighter. The Mii Swordfighter fired again, and hit perfectly, freeing Lord Ghirahim's Spirit as well as Link himself. The Shadow Bugs retreated as the area blinded in white, and both the Mii Swordfighter and Link were transported back to the hill they all were before.

Ghirahim's Spirit was the first to appear at the hill, glowing red with a rainbow aura around him. The golden cages that trapped the fighters vanished, and the servant of Demise instantly flew into Kirby's body, reactivating the stone inside the pink puffball. Kirby's eyes gleamed white, and he was about to experience another vision.

The pink demon saw himself back at the Sky Temple Training Arena, sporting the Smash Ball on his forehead again. Kirby had also noticed he was in some sort of hallway in the stadium, where there were beautifully-painted walls and doors lined up one by one next to each other. Traveling through was another firefly-like dragon, leading Galeem, Ultima, and Phoenix to their assigned room.

"Here's your room," the small, insect-detailed dragon spoke, handing Ultima the key to the door's lock. "Thank you for becoming part of the Dragosmo Training Camp. Training begins tomorrow. Meet at the central stage in the middle of the stadium as soon as you wake up."

"Thank you," Ultima answered with a kind heart. The firefly dragon zipped off while buzzing, leaving the three young dragons to enter their room. Ultima then inserted the key into the door's lock and twisted it with her mouth, gently pushing it open to admire how simple and quaint the room was. The walls and ceiling were painted white, followed by a clean, gray rug covering the floor. Three common beds laid next to each other, with an unlit candle on a small table on the rightmost bed's side.

"Quite… interesting…" Phoenix remarked, walking next to the beds while putting down his traveling sack. "So we would be staying in this room for ten years, right?"

"Maybe, unless we're good enough to be warranted a better position in the arena," Galeem answered, flying into the air and diving down onto the bed.

"Look on the bright side," Ultima replied, "at least we'll be able to make some friends while we're here. This is pretty much the first time we're allowed to take care of ourselves without mommy or daddy."

"You're right, Ultima," Galeem said, messing with his bed's blanket a little. "This place will change us in ways we won't expect. But like we three promised, we'll stay together no matter what."

"That's correct," Ultima remarked, slipping down onto her bed, watching the moon in the room's window begin to rise as the sun was quickly setting. "Tomorrow's another day, and there will always be unexpected things. Let's just get some rest. We start our training first thing in the morning, and we would become the best Dragosmos in the land. Besides, when we were all just a year old, I clearly remember our father trying to tell us about his friends learning about big responsibilities and accepting into reality to deal with their troubles."

"Suppose that message will help us in the future," Phoenix commented, snuggling into his bed.

"I hope so…" Ultima answered.

The three young dragons started sleeping in their chosen beds, falling fast asleep once the sky darkened and the aligned stars began shining in waves of white. Kirby simply watched, unaware of the bright light flashing around him and transporting his conscious back to Gallia once more.

Once Kirby woke up, he noticed he was back to normal again, not sweating as hard as before. Maybe it was all because he was starting to getting used to having these kinds of visions whenever he or his friends have reawakened the fighters from their Primary state. Nonetheless, the pink puffball found himself back with Marth, Sheik, Piranha Plant, Villager, Captain Falcon, and Mii Swordfighter. Once the six warriors heard groaning, they quickly turned around and gathered around Link, who was slowly waking up. The Champion of Hyrule sat up, adjusting his vision to see few of his friends gathered around him, as well as the new addition that was the Piranha Plant in a flower pot.

"You… saved me…" Link said, pointing at the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn. "Thanks for the help, Mii Fighter."

"It was nothing," the Mii Swordfighter answered, a little embarrassed as he rubbed his blond hair. "You can thank Sheik and the others, who were all saved by Kirby, the only hope off this planet." Kirby then grabbed ahold of Link's arm, helping the Hyrulian stand up right. Link then placed the Master Sword still in his right hand and the Hylian Shield in its left both on his back, his eyes gleaming a deep ocean blue and no longer holding the red envy that was Galeem.

"There was some sort of light bridge across that light chasm stretching out across the land," Sheik interrupted. "However, the path is too hot to even walk on. Do you think you can help us find what we're looking for to pass?" The Hylian placed a finger on his chin, looking down in thought.

"Not really, no," Link answered. "Thankfully for you guys, my Fighter Spirit seemed to have noticed a pipe somewhere around here. Follow me." The Champion of Hyrule then ran down the hill, with his six other friends following after him. Walking across a bridge to a tiny stub of an island surrounded by a stream of water, Kirby and his team noticed Link showing them a green pipe, one of which seemed to have come from Mario's land.

"What… is that thing?" Captain Falcon asked.

"Don't know," Link answered. "But apparently, Sonic the Hedgehog told us it's part of the Mushroom Kingdom as a means of transportation."

"I'm not going in there, what with that pipe lined with sewage junk and all," the Mii Swordfighter objected as Kirby and Villager looked down there. Piranha Plant squeezed inbetween the two fighters, looking down at the blackness of the green pipe.

"I think I've heard the blue blur saying it's always clean, no matter how long it's been around," Link answered, looking back on the ex-Ultimate Reborn. The Piranha Plant slipped his head down the pipe, and the carnivorous flower suddenly tripped and fell in. Both Villager and Kirby were shocked when the other four fighters quickly turned around and saw only the bottom of the Piranha Plant's flower pot and his two stubby roots sticking through suddenly vanish.

"The plant fell in," Link sighed. "Looks like we'll have to follow him regardless…" With confidence, the Champion of Hyrule quickly jumped into the green pipe, disappearing as well. The rest of the team then jumped in, one at a time. As expected, the pipe transported them somewhere completely different in a matter of seconds, and all seven warriors in the gang jumped out.

"Where… are we…?" Sheik asked, looking around at the strange new environment they arrived at. From what you can tell, Kirby, Link, Sheik, Villager, Captain Falcon, Mii Swordfighter, and Piranha Plant all appeared in a misty bog, filled with gaseous swamps and rotting vegetation. The opaque fog itself was colored a violet color like the amaranthine gas of the Subspace Army, and the leaves and roots covered and hid the cobblestone path.

This was going to be a bother for Kirby's group if they were ever going to get out of the bog.


	38. Pt 38: Reoccuring Memories

Through the mushroom gorge, Mario and his team wandered out of the strange location they were at, heading to some darkened woods.

"Hopefully the others are alright, mining for resources in that shaft we just visited," Marth said, looking back.

"They probably are," Joker answered. "From the sounds of things, it seems like these Spirits can handle themselves when Galeem's forces are not around…" Before the Hero-King and the Phantom Thief of Hearts ventured forth with Mario and Olimar, Faker ran towards them in her dragon armor. Panting, the brown-skinned warrior brushed her wavy black hair with her gloved hand, standing up straight.

"Permission to join your forces," Faker said, her dragon-tooth sword by her side.

"Are you sure?" Mario asked. "You certainly don't look like you have much experience in combat, and that armor definitely isn't helping with your skills either…"

"Please?" Faker asked. "I don't know squat about my past. I'd like to learn more about myself if I go with you guys! Just to be clear, I promise I won't flirt with any of the handsome members of the team, especially Joker…" Olimar, Marth, and Mario looked at Joker for his response, the Phantom Thief of Hearts watching Faker showing a tint of red in her face.

Sighing in defeat, Joker answered, "Fine. She can come along… but only if she promises not to flirt with me so much." Faker then ran towards the Phantom Thief of Hearts, hugging him from behind.

"Really?" Faker asked. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Joker managed to squirm out, continuing down the path Mario's gang was on. However, as soon as the gang first set foot in the forest, they came across two Supporters and one Primary: two tiny Mewtwos (one blue and the other pink) and PAC-MAN. An image flashed in front of the team sent by Galeem, revealing three legendary Pokémon known as Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. The three intruders glared at the adventurers with glowing-red eyes, triggering Mario and his friends.

This time, instead of grabbing a certain opponent while locking up the others in golden cages, the two Mewtwo Supporters approached the fighters while the PAC-MAN Primary grabbed Faker. The ground rumbled, and Uxie inside PAC-MAN teleported Faker somewhere else while Mesprit and Azelf in the bodies of the Mewtwo puppet fighters kept the four warriors on the ground as the dirt they were standing on shifted in color and form.

For Mario, Marth, Olimar, and Joker, they saw themselves on the Spear Pillar stage, where glowing-white crystals stuck out of the ground and legendary Pokémon were seen flying around. The two Mewtwo Supporters began charging up their Shadow Balls, watching the four warriors simply run up to them, their weapons and elemental powers in hands. Once the Shadow Balls were launched, Marth and Joker both jumped up and slashed straight down above the puppet fighters, with Olimar dodging and throwing his Pikmin while Mario pulled out a golden cape, reflecting the Shadow Balls back.

As soon as Marth and Joker both slashed down on the Mewtwo Supporters, the puppet fighters quickly got up to see their reflected Shadow Balls flying back at them. They both quickly used Confusion, tossing their projectiles back at the incoming fighters. Olimar, Joker, and Marth ended up behind the two Mewtwo Supporters, with Mario using his cape move again while his friends kept jabbing and unleashing powerful attacks behind the puppet fighters. The two Mewtwo Supporters managed to get up, but they weren't fast enough to avoid their Shadow Balls from before: ramming hard into the Pokémon clones. It launched them off the Spear Pillar stage, sending Mesprit in the pink Mewtwo Supporter into the blast zone but not Azelf in the blue one. However, as the one remaining puppet fighter attempted to float back into the stage, white Pikmin quickly grabbed onto his tail, inflicting poisonous damage. As the Mewtwo Supporter tried shaking them off, Marth slashed downward with his Exalted Falchion, preforming a meteor smash and knocking out the other Mewtwo Supporter much later. The Spear Pillar went dark, and the four fighters that emerged victorious felt themselves float into the air.

As for Faker, the brown-skinned warrior dressed in dragon armor saw that she was on a flattened stage, merely resembling that of a child's drawing and/or a simple painted picture on an old laptop in the late 90's and early 2000's. It was the Final Destination version of the PAC-LAND stage, and Uxie inside PAC-MAN's body was her opponent.

The PAC-MAN Primary first started charging up pixelated fruit, shifting between different forms. Faker began dashing towards the puppet fighter, slashing her dragon-fang sword rapidly. She then started jabbing rapidly with her fists, her knuckles slamming hard and fast into the PAC-MAN Primary's yellow skin. Once Uxie inside PAC-MAN's body dodged Faker's attack, he threw his fully-charged pixelated fruit in the form of a key, sending it flying fast in a straight direction. Faker noticed it thrown from feet in front of her, and she managed to catch the key in time. With enough power, the brown-skinned warrior threw the pixelated key back at the PAC-MAN Primary but the captured fighter himself managed to create a fire hydrant out of nothing in time. The psychic abilities from the legendary Pokemon taking control of the yellow bane of ghosts funneled into the fire hydrant, and it shot out powerful magic balls instead of water spurts. Faker then jumped up in the air, ready to slash again. However, she was above the captured fighter at the right distance, generating blue pixels from his gloved hand. It was all over for her, and Faker couldn't use anything other than her sword… or so she thought.

Quickly shutting her eyes, Faker managed to slip in her dragon-tooth sword back into her waist, and smoke was flickering out from the palms of her gloved hands. As soon as Inky, one of the ghosts from PAC-MAN's world generated as the captured fighter's up-smash, Faker generated a blast of fire, critically hitting Uxie inside the yellow bane's body. As soon as the brown-skinned warrior quickly got up on her feet, she slowly opened her eyes, looking at her hands.

 _I had no idea I could that…_ Faker thought. _This might serve as a little advantage._ She watched the PAC-MAN Primary transform into his signature yellow orb shape with the pizza-shaped wedge, about to devour her. Luckily, Faker pulled out fiery orbs from her hands, flinging them harshly and fast at the PAC-MAN Primary. With enough potential, the black-haired warrior managed to get the PAC-MAN Primary off the stage, and she dashed off. As soon as Faker pulled out her sword, she set the blade ablaze similar to Roy's and stabbed downward, sending the PAC-MAN Primary into the blast zone of PAC-LAND.

Mario and the other three fighters saw they were back at the forest's entrance, with the Normal Legendary Spirits of Azelf and Mesprit floating off, free from Galeem's capture. Meanwhile, for Faker, she felt herself levitating in the air, pointing a Spirit Sniper at PAC-MAN's rescued body, protected by an ever-spinning barrier generated from the Master Legendary Uxie Spirit. With a careful aim, Faker fired and hit PAC-MAN's unconscious body, freeing the yellow bane from his enslavement and breaking his Galeem Lock. White mist flew out of PAC-MAN's body before the Shadow Bug environment around Faker blinded her in white. A minute or two had passed, and Mario, Marth, Joker, and Olimar looked up to see Faker descending towards them in the air with PAC-MAN in her arms.

"Is he okay?" Marth asked, holding PAC-MAN's gloved hand.

"I still feel his heartbeat," Faker answered, slowly placing the yellow bane on the ground. PAC-MAN slowly began waking up, noticing he was back with his friends. Not saying a word, the yellow fighter quickly stood up, clenching his fists and ready to take on Galeem once they have reached at their destination.

"So all we gotta do is travel through this forest and hope we find something?" Joker asked.

"I think-a that's the idea," Mario answered, "unless we uncover traps, by which we're screwed…" The fighters looked at each other, confused.

"Better make the most of it," Marth said, running into the forest as he was being followed by his closest teammates.

* * *

At the mist-covered swamp, Kirby, Villager, Captain Falcon, Link, Sheik, Mii Swordfighter, and Piranha Plant noticed right next to the pipe they just entered was a path that led into the light. If the warriors continued further, they might as well end up lost since the violet fog was so thick you can barely see you hand in front of your face. Plus, there was so many roots and soggy leaves that they have covered and barricaded the path entirely.

"Might as well come back here later," Captain Falcon remarked. The others agreed with nods, walking off into the light. As soon as the group had left the swamp, they each uncovered a mountainside dotted with trees and luscious green. A stone path was leading them somewhere, and the warriors were determined to find out.

Walking on the side of the mountains, the warriors on Kirby's team had noticed next to them was a neighborhood, with the houses having red roofs like in the village. As they continued down the path, they suddenly came across a beautiful heart-shaped lake, dotted with cherry blossom trees on the sides and white-flowered lily pads on the crystal-clear water surface. At the center was a tiny island where a stone bridge connected, and on the island itself was some sort of magenta crystal with someone trapped inside. Kirby was the first one to notice, and the pink puffball was tugging on Link's tunic.

"We see it too, Kirby," Link answered, pointing at the magenta crystal. "Let's go and free whoever's trapped in there." However, before any of the warriors took a step on the bridge, a mysterious figure suddenly dropped onto the bridge, ambushing them. As the magenta crystal's reflected light flashed in front of Kirby and his team, the stranger that ambushed them was Fox McCloud, his blaster in his hand and his glowing-red eyes gleaming brightly.

"You would simply think you can just walk through here and take this beautiful fairy?" Fox asked in a voice completely different from his usual tone.

"We're dealing with what's most important to us," Sheik snarled, pulling out her needles. "Now let us pass…"

"Do you really think you can get past through Shadow the Hedgehog, the ultimate lifeform and master of Chaos Control?" Fox asked. As expected, an image flashed on Fox McCloud's body, revealing a hedgehog that looked similar to Sonic, but he had black, upright quills marked with red vertical stripes, different stylized gloves and shoes, and a completely different personality. As soon as the Master Legendary Spirit's image vanished, the Fox Primary quickly pointed his blaster at the traveling adventurers.

"You're one of the many missing Assist Trophies, aren't you?" the Mii Swordfighter asked.

"Correct you are," Shadow inside Fox's body snarled, "and you know I have far more potential than just slowing down time with Chaos Control. Now, we can do this the easy way, where you turn around and never come back, or we can do it the hard way, where I eradicate you completely if you attempt on saving that fairy…" The rest of the fighters were starting to feel a little questioned, but Kirby was the only one who stepped forward, confident on saving everyone he cared for over the ten years he was trapped on this planet, including Fox McCloud.

"I see you're choosing the hard way," Shadow growled. "Pathetic… Don't worry. The rest of you get to join your fairy friend too." Grabbing Kirby, the Fox Primary then spawned golden cages, throwing the rest of the fighters in them and locking them up. Floating up into the air, the captured fighter created a vortex and sucked both himself and Kirby in.

While Kirby was slowly waking up, he heard spaceships flying in the background. Arwings similar to Fox's and Falco's were flying around, and there were pieces of land covered in trees and dotted in futuristic buildings were spotted in an ocean. Kirby was in Corneria: Final Destination version. His opponent: Shadow the Hedgehog inside Fox McCloud.

"You scared yet, kid?" the Fox Primary snarled, clenching his stomach. Black quills marked with red began poking out through the captured fighter's clothes, and his blaster suddenly started twisting and shaping itself into a machine gun. After the transformation, the Fox Primary was surrounded by a white aura, his entire eyes engulfed with a red light.

"Bring it on!" Shadow the Hedgehog snarled, loading his machine gun. Once the Fox Primary began firing the machine gun, the fast-flying bullets were ricocheting off Kirby's bouncy skin, even though they were stinging harshly for him. Regardless, Kirby floated up into the air, heading up above the captured fighter and transforming into a pink stone. The sheer slam caused the Fox Primary to jump out of the way, beginning to use Fox Illusion. However, just when the captured fighter was beginning to glow blue, Kirby inhaled the Fox Primary and gained the Copy Ability. Like before, Kirby's mind shut down, and the Fighter Spirit based off his opponent took over. Two ears spawned on Kirby's head, and a metal headset with a green visor generated on the pink demon's face. The Smash Ball symbol gleamed in Kirby's eyes, signifying that Fox McCloud would be taking over for now.

"This feels a little awkward," Fox's voice spoke from Kirby. "But if I'm going to get my body back, I need to do it in the body of another…" The possessed Kirby then pulled out a blaster, firing lasers at the Fox Primary. The captured fighter, however, began using Chaos Control to teleport around the Corneria stage, sending bullets fly in all directions. Luckily, Fox inside Kirby's body knew what was going to happen and quickly pulled out his hexagon-shaped Reflector, sending the machine gun bullets flying back. Shadow quickly stopped teleporting and pulled out his own Reflector with Fox's body, sending the bullets back. Soon, it became a ping-pong game between the heavy rain of bullets. Thankfully, Shadow's Reflector broke, and few of the red-hot pellets pierced through his skin, fatally wounding the Fox Primary. Blood began staining the Fox Primary's white jacket, and Shadow inside the Star Fox leader began coughing up puddles of red, gagging as he limped and clenched his fist. This provided a chance for the real Fox McCloud within Kirby to walk up to the Fox Primary and charge up a powerful kick with the pink puffball's red foot. With a powerful thrust of Kirby's nonexistent leg, the Fighter Spirit within critically hit the Fox Primary into the blast zone, causing the Final Destination version of Corneria to disintegrate into Shadow Bugs.

Time had passed, and the rest of Kirby's friends were struggling in those golden cages of theirs. Just then, the confines quickly vanished, and the freed fighters quickly dropped onto the ground. A vortex appeared right in front of them, and both Fox's and Kirby's bodies were dropped out, with the pink puffball's eyes glowing white.

In Kirby's point-of-view, the pink puffball found himself back at the Sky Temple Training Arena, feeling the Smash Ball on his forehead. It was almost morning, and the moon itself was almost gone just over the horizon. Suddenly, the stadium itself was beginning to rumble, and it was shaking the new students up. Lots of young dragons were quickly woken up by the uncontrollable rumbling, and they were running out of their rooms to look out the hall's windows, including Ultima, Phoenix, and Galeem. According to what the young students saw, the Sky Temple Training Arena itself was levitating off the ground, powered by futuristic hovercraft to make the stadium into the air. As the young dragons were amazed by what they saw, another insect-like dragon appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Time to meet up at the central stage before breakfast!" the insect-like dragon spoke, his bug-shaped wings buzzing and his tail glowing faintly. "Your teachers would like a few words before we start training." Rushing as fast as they could to the central stage simply floating there and connected with quartz bridges, a large group of young dragons went in from different directions of the Sky Temple Training Arena, waiting to see who was going to appear in front of them. Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima squeezed in to the front, curious about what was the big hold-up before breakfast.

"Look up in the sky!" one dragon cried. The group of students then looked up in the air, watching the two golden-armored dragons that were at the last Dragosmo Festival before. The two dragons glided down into the air, landing in front of the young students. Both teachers looked very similar to one another – with their bodies colored a velvety white and their silky wings and tails exposed through their golden armor. However, as they opened their eyes, one was revealed to have golden eyes while the other one had purple, the former moving more gracefully while the latter was feeling a little jittery in his posture. The one with golden eyes and graceful movement then walked up to the students, looking down upon them.

"Greetings, new comrades," the golden-eyed dragon spoke. "My name is Sozo, and next to me is my brother, Hakai. We are both the sons of Lord Ceresor and seconds-in-command of the Dragosmo Army. Welcome to your first year aboard the Sky Temple Training Arena."

"While you pipsqueaks are aboard the stadium, we'll be training you to be the best of the best for years to come!" Hakai interrupted, his long, skinny tongue flopping outside of his ever-smiling lips. Sozo merely sighed and continued with his speech to the students.

"Please forgive my brother," Sozo said. "He may be a professional general like me and yet he still does not know how to behave… Anyway, we will be keeping you under our custody for ten years. We will be traveling to different planets and fight tough and hard to awaken our powers within. There will be time for breaks, so no need to worry. Feel free to befriend your classmates and even write messages to your parents. For now, training begins immediately!" Sozo and Hakai then flew up into the air, breathing out powerful beams that surrounded the Sky Temple Training Arena. They created a blue forcefield as the arena floated higher into the sky, skyrocketing faster above the ground. The Sky Temple Training Arena then flew off the planet of Arcus into space, zooming at the speed of light. At first, the young dragons felt uncomfortable traveling to different planets, but then they realized the technology within the stadium was keeping them on their toes as if it was almost nothing.

"Breakfast is available at the dining room," Sozo finished. "Eat up as fast as you can for soon we will arrive at our destination…" With Hakai and Sozo flying off, the new students then walked back inside the stadium, with Kirby clearly invested in these visions of Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima.

Later on, at the dining area, all sorts of young dragons were grabbing foods from special plastic bowls, where they were standing in front of special machines that gave their favorite grub, ranging from fruits to foreign meats. After Ultima and her brothers filled up on their meal, the three young dragons walked to white tables erecting from the quartz floor to sit and eat.

"This feels so fun!" Ultima giggled. "The fact that we get to travel to different planets for ten years seems amazing. I wonder what powers we're going to learn there…"

"Who knows?" Galeem asked, grabbing a tiny mouthful from his bowl with his jaws. "It might become harder the older we get…"

"Our behavior might change as well," Phoenix replied, pushing away his bowl and thinking. "I mean… what if one of us turns evil? What if one of us wants universal domination?" Ultima and Galeem looked away for a while, thinking about what might happen if what Phoenix said was true. Just then, a group of three female dragons walked up to Galeem, giggling. The white-armored dragon quickly turned around to see a pink, fluffy dragon, a light-yellow dragon with feathered wings, and a sky-blue dragon whose locks of hair looked like wispy clouds.

"You with the mismatching wings," the light-yellow dragon said, noticing the fiery-orange and space-blue colors within Galeem's wings. "Wanna sit with us?"

"Yeah," the fluffy-pink dragon replied, looking away bashfully. "The girls and I think you look really cute." Galeem was at first dumbfounded by this.

"…Me?" Galeem asked.

"Yeah," the sky-blue dragon remarked. "We think you're really special."

"Well… I've never had any other friends outside of my brother and sister, so…" Ultima nodded in agreement, excited with what was going to happen to the young dragon. After all, it didn't really hurt to make more friends.

"I… guess I can sit with you girls…" Galeem answered, getting up from his seat. The white-armored dragon then walked off with the three female dragons, and Ultima was pleased. However, when she looked back on Phoenix, she noticed something was wrong with his face.

"What's the matter?" Ultima asked, curious that her black-scaled brother with the flame-textured wings looked rather downcast.

"You're a bit jealous about Galeem, huh?" Ultima predicted, knowing that Galeem was chosen over Phoenix. Ultima then placed her front paw on Phoenix's, and the young dragon looked up to see his sister smiling at him.

"I was rejected too," Ultima continued. "Just because Galeem has a few friends doesn't mean you won't get any either. It's all for time to decide, and you're no different. You two are still equally my brothers, and I would make sure that everything in your life goes right…"

"Thank you for understanding, Ultima," Phoenix replied, touching his sister's paw and clasping it. While Kirby was watching, he felt a little moved, understanding the minor conflict the young dragons were going through. Just then, speakers started turning on, and the entire dining room went quiet for a minute.

"Attention, class," Sozo spoke. "We have arrived on Ignisu, the planet of the Fire Rainbolement. Each one of you head outside so we can get started with our training here." All of the students started heading to the entrance, waiting with Hakai and Sozo, who were with them this whole time. Ultima and Phoenix reunited with Galeem, and they were waiting for a signal.

"All we have to do is wait until we land," Sozo told all the young dragons. The rumbling of the futuristic engines that caused the Sky Temple Training Arena to fly in space was quickly followed by the barrier fading away as the building itself touched hard ground. Sozo and Hakai then placed each of their paws on the door handle.

"Just a little precaution: the planet you're about to see – Ignisu – it's a lot different from Arcus," Hakai butted. "Plus, it's hot… like, REALLY hot." As soon as Sozo and Hakai opened the door, the young dragons were surprised by what they saw: rough, rocky terrain with little vegetation, and even the plants themselves flickered like fire. Lava was flowing like rivers, and the sky itself was ash-polluted and red with the sun itself ballooning into a red giant, stretching across half of the sky and piercing through the ash clouds with its light, but it still was dim enough so that it didn't blind any living thing that looked directly at it.

"Welcome to Ignisu," Sozo spoke to the young students. "For about a year, we will be exploring the planet and overcoming all the challenges that oppose us, earning you the right to the Fire Rainbolement. I will explain what that is when we camp somewhere out there." Sozo and Hakai then took off into the sooty skies, followed by Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima with all the other students flying into the air. Kirby watched the swarm of dragons fly off farther from the Sky Temple Training Arena, feeling the Smash Ball pulse brightly on his head again. Kirby then saw the light surrounding him, transporting his conscious back into his own body.

Kirby quickly woke up to the bright sun shining on his face, rubbing his cuddly pink body with his stubby arms. The pink puffball was quickly helped up by Link, and the rest of Kirby's friends surrounded him, concerned about his health.

"You okay?" Sheik asked.

"Poyo-poyo," Kirby answered, perfectly fine.

"What was going on there, Kirby?" the Mii Swordfighter asked, surprised. "Your body went limp and we saw your eyes glowing like the sun…" Fox McCloud then pushed inbetween Mii Swordfighter and Piranha Plant, looking down on Kirby with the usual emerald green eyes he always had. The leader of Star Fox was back.

"Thanks for saving me, kid," Fox spoke with his usual tone, rubbing the pink puffball's head.

"Looks like Fox McCloud is back in action," Captain Falcon responded, fist-bumping the Star Fox leader. The fighters were chatting with each other, but Kirby noticed the Mii Swordfighter staring at the pink demon in an interested expression.

"This is like the exact same riddle I spoke to Sonic…" the Mii Swordfighter spoke gently enough so that the others could not hear.

"Poyo…?" Kirby asked, tilting his nonexistent neck.

" _Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock_ ," the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn remarked. "You know the words, don't you? The blue rodent told you the message didn't he?" Kirby suddenly got a flashback from Galeem's attack upon the multiverse, remembering the message from the blue blur, the heartbreaking tragedy of Sonic's ultimate sacrifice that saved the pink puffball. The Mii Fighter then sheathed his sword back in his cleavage, placing a hand on Kirby's back.

"Sonic's still gone, isn't he?" the Mii asked. Tears built up in Kirby's eyes, but the pink demon knew he was brave enough to go on as he gently wiped them out.

"Fa…Fa…Family," Kirby muttered, looking away. The Mii Swordfighter understood what Kirby meant by that, knowing they were far more than just friends, and families never lose one another's sight. The ex-Ultimate Reborn then stood up, looking back at the magenta crystal found at the center of the heart-shaped lake. After Fox was rescued, the fairy that was trapped within was freed. Kirby and the rest of the gang then ran across the bridge to see who they rescued. Lo and behold, it was another Mii, with green eyes and light-gray rectangle glasses with a dimple underneath her left eye, and she sported elflike ears with orange pixie wings, garmented with an orange long-sleeved dress, sunset-colored braids, and a large golden flower on the side of her head.

"Goodness gracious!" the fairy spoke with a sweet and sensitive voice, trying to get up. Once the fairy stood up, she was perfectly straight, with her hands placed in front of her chest.

"This is indeed quite worth the trouble," the fairy continued, rubbing her sore neck. Both Sheik and Piranha Plant then noticed something about who they rescued. For one, she was a Master Advanced Spirit, sporting the rainbow aura and green, transparent body, but it was as if they remembered something while back at the village.

"You wouldn't happen to be one of the Fab Fairies a companion named Raiden talked about before that tried defending a village, wouldn't you?" Sheik asked.

"Of course I am!" the Fab Fairy answered. "I am pretty much the middle sibling. My two other sisters were captured and sent off far away from each other."

"I guess we can help you reunite with your siblings," Fox replied, patting the blaster on the side of his waist.

"Wish it would be that simple," the Middle Fab Fairy remarked. "The problem is there is an island far off in the southeast, where a powerful monster has been responsible for scaring creatures of the light into this land. The only way across is through the fissure erupting geysers of light…"

"Yeah… about that…" the Mii Swordfighter groaned, "turns out the bridge is burning-hot to the touch. Anything that sets foot across is sure to catch fire."

"Which is why I'm counting on all of you to rescue my sisters!" the Middle Fab Fairy replied. "According to rumors, there is a temple in the far northwest, possibly sure to disintegrate the light fissure once you defeat all the captured fighters protecting it. However, you would need the magic of all three of us to open the way through."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Captain Falcon replied, running out to the east. Shortly after, Kirby, Villager, Sheik, Mii Swordfighter, Piranha Plant, Link, and Fox went with him, guided by the Middle Fab Fairy.


	39. Pt 39: The Youngest Fab Fairy

Mario and his team were strolling through the jungle, keeping an eye out for any intruders they can find. So far, they have managed to rescue a few Spirits from their selected puppet fighters with no sweat, and they were all simply easy to defeat. However, that did not mean they can simply ace through the fight against Galeem like it was no trouble at all.

"So… where's the next fight?" Joker asked, twirling his unloaded pistol with his red-gloved hand.

"I'm sure it'll be around here somewhere," Marth answered. "Just you wait." Joker then looked back on Faker, noticing something was on her mind. While the other four fighters were still walking through the forest, Joker approached the brown-skinned warrior, seeing those downcast golden eyes of hers.

"Something wrong?" Joker asked. Faker merely sighed, looking at the ground below her.

"I just simply woke up here, with no memory about myself or even what I originally looked like," Faker answered. "I was hoping if I joined you guys, I would get more answers about myself, but… ever since I have discovered these fire powers of mine, I was left with more questions… Plus, I don't even know much about conflict and the other Spirits assume I can use a sword…" Joker held up her chin, looking at her with those gray eyes of his hidden underneath his mask, making Faker's cheeks tinted red a little.

"We'll fix you up," Joker answered. "Just you wait." Faker rubbed her cheek, pushing Joker's hand aside a bit.

"Joker! Faker!" Marth called. "There's something you need to see!" Joker suddenly heard his friends, who went down south. The Phantom Thief of Hearts then grabbed ahold of Faker's hand, taking her along with him. Once Joker and Faker met up with Mario, Marth, Olimar, and PAC-MAN, they both saw that they were standing in front of a large base, with the steel doors slammed shut.

"First the village of Morrowsville was blocked to us, and now this highly suspicious base is barricaded," Marth sighed, tired that they were going through dead ends every single turn. Just then, Joker noticed a futuristic-looking computer next to the gate. The Phantom Thief of Hearts walked up, and the computer quickly unfolded itself, creating holographic screens and textboxes. The group of fighters then walked up behind Joker, befuddled by the technology presented to them. In order for the group to access the base's gate, they needed to enter a seven-digit passcode.

"Got any ideas?" Joker asked.

"Not that I know of," Mario answered, confused just as much as the Phantom Thief of Hearts, "unless you were to know of this advanced technology mumbo-jumbo…"

"I'm a part-time college student as well as part-time Phantom Thief," Joker replied. "I don't really have much time understanding the complexities of computers."

"What a bummer," Marth replied. "Well, if we were to find a Spirit that can help us like Kammy Koopa back there at the mushroom gorge, that would be great." The Hero-King then took a different path back to the forest up north, followed by Mario, Olimar, PAC-MAN, and Joker. Faker was standing around for quite a while, looking back on the futuristic computer monitor. On the holographic screen, the hint for the seven-digit passcode read: _Who was Galeem's brother?_

 _…Brother?_ Faker thought to herself, wanting to understand if the Seraph of Order had a family of his own relation.

"Faker!" Joker called out. "We're waiting for you!" The brown-skinned warrior then remembered who she was traveling with, and she ran down the path the fighters took.

Time had passed, and the fighters looked through the forest to see what they could find. Just then, the group noticed a glowing-green crystal just across a bridge over a fast-current river. Inside the crystal was another fairy, trapped inside and dormant.

"You see that?" Marth asked.

"Yep," Mario answered, stepping onto the bridge. "Whoever's in there definitely needs our rescuing." The red plumber then ran off, followed by his friends and Faker. However, as they were halfway across, a Master Hand suddenly teleported right in front of them, scaring them so much that they almost fell off the flimsy bridge into the freezing water.

"And just where do you think you're going?" the Master Hand asked, floating above them as its fingers slowly curled into its palm.

"We're here to save the person sealed inside that crystal," Mario answered. "You better get out of our way or we'll wail in on you." However, the Master Hand simply laughed.

"Arcadia's Master Hand had described how gullible you all can be," the Master Hand replied. "If he's around right now, he might say the exact same thing I had just described. Now suffer as you fight against one of your friends." Slamming with a powerful fist, the Master Hand shook the bridge, even though the fighters were trying to steady their balance. Once the Hand opened its palm, inside it was the Donkey Kong Primary, surrounded by a white aura and eyes gleaming red. An image flashed on the captured fighter's bare chest, revealing a Master Legendary Spirit in the form of a large, darkened elderly gorilla with ghost-like eyes, and its name was the Ghastly King.

The Donkey Kong Primary roared so ferociously that the warriors themselves were feeling a little frightened. Before the Master Hand vanished, it left behind a cluster of Shadow Bugs, and they each formed into Primids, Triggergoplas, and Halicarptus.

"I'll take care of this bitch," Joker growled, taking off his mask. Blue flames surrounded his gray eyes, and Arsene appeared right behind him.

"King Kong's mine," Joker continued, placing the mask on his waist. The Phantom Thief of Hearts then pulled out his pistol and knife. The Donkey Kong Primary then lunged forward and unleashed a powerful punch, but Joker himself jumped on top of the gorilla's back, clinging onto the brown fur as a vortex surrounded the two fighters, transporting them to another dimension. In the meantime, Mario, Marth, Olimar, PAC-MAN, and Faker were forced to fight the minor Subspace Army members once more.

* * *

For Joker, he and DK had appeared in a retro-themed version of the Kongo Jungle: Final Destination version. As the Phantom Thief of Hearts walked closer, the Master Legendary Spirit within Donkey Kong's body started transforming, growing larger in size and exposing a gray, ghastly mane on his head, with wispy arm cuffs and breath so putrid anyone within a mile of its radius was sure to drop dead. Thankfully, that was not the case for Joker as he was lucky enough to at least smell how bad it is and not fall unconscious.

"Talk about not even using a toothbrush!" Joker teased, fanning the bad breath away as he admired the towering height of the Ghastly King Spirit. With a mighty roar, the Donkey Kong Primary began using powerful, darkened projectiles from his large fists, throwing them to curve in at Joker. However, as the projectiles were curving in to attack the fighter, Joker jumped into the air, taking off his mask to unleash one of his many Personas: Succubus. With a powerful fiery breath, the Persona coated the giant Donkey Kong Primary's furry coat in flames. Joker then jumped down onto the captured fighter's head, slashing rapidly with his knives. With a powerful slash, the Phantom Thief then jumped off, firing a barrage of pistols at Donkey Kong's face. Joker quickly placed the mask back on his face, watching as the Ghastly King inside Donkey Kong's body run towards him, attempting to unleash slow but powerful punches that would surely knock the Phantom Thief out in just a few hits.

Unleashing Arsene, Joker commanded him to shoot the signature Light Arrow. As soon as the sleeping spell hit, the Donkey Kong Primary quickly fell asleep because of the damage inflicted on him.

"Persona!" Joker yelled, taking off his mask to send out Genbu. Once the Persona cast its icy magic on the Donkey Kong Primary, the captured fighter was frozen in place, allowing Joker to unleash Arsene again. After the Donkey Kong Primary broke free from his cold imprisonment, Joker was seen with blue flames surrounded his face and Arsene was ready to unleash a powerful clap with his wing-like appendages. Before the captured warrior was about to unleash his signature punch, Joker clapped with Arsene following after him, and both the Phantom Thief and his main Persona knocked out the Donkey Kong Primary, only completing the first half in freeing him from Lord Galeem's control.

* * *

As Mario and Marth stood back-to-back, bashing Primids on the head with their fists and slashes, PAC-MAN began throwing fire hydrants down on the approaching Halicarptus and crushing them while Olimar threw his Pikmin at the Triggergoplas, avoiding their rapid-firing bullets as the Pikmin themselves took the fire and disintegrated into little ghosts. Faker herself began swinging her sword around herself, trying to get rid of the minor Subspace Army members, but they all somehow managed to avoid her blows. Eventually, the dragon-armored warrior created a fiery blast from her hands, but the sheer knockback caused her to trip onto the ground, landing on her behind. Just then, a Primid walked up to her, simply staring at her.

"W-What do you want?" Faker asked, nervous as she pointed her sword at the Shadow Bug creature. The Primid then gently lowered her sword by the blade, approaching closer and not even attacking her. Sweat was dripping down the brown-skinned woman's face as her golden eyes stared at the creature.

The Primid did not have any intention of attacking Faker, nor any other one of the Subspace creatures in general. It just simply stood there, curious about her. It was as if they had something in common.

"Faker, look out!" Marth cried, swinging his Exalted Falchion downward. The Primid quickly reacted, turning around and clasping the tip with its hands. However, the Falchion itself pierced through the Primid's skin, sliding down and slicing its body in half. Once the Primid died, Shadow Bug juices ran out of its wound. Faker merely looked at the killed creature, not afraid and moreover confused. The Hero-King held out his hand.

"You better be careful next time," Marth groaned, hoisting the brown-skinned warrior up. Faker nodded as her agreement, still wondering more about herself. Shortly after, the fighters managed to force the remaining Subspace Army members to retreat back into the forest, just in time for Joker to appear in the air from the vortex that sent him to his fight, with his Persona Arsene carrying Donkey Kong's unconscious body in his arm-like appendages. The Ghastly King Spirit floated off with the white mist, never to be seen by the group again. Once Joker touched the ground, he put his white-and-black mask back on his face, causing Arsene to drop Donkey Kong and vanish back into the Phantom Thief's body. The gorilla quickly woke up when he hit the dirt, and the first thing he saw was his old rival's face: Mario.

The red plumber grabbed ahold of Donkey Kong's huge hand, lifting the gorilla onto his hind legs. Donkey Kong then turned toward Joker.

"Don't look at Mario," Joker said. "I'm the one who rescued you, you know."

"Look back there!" Faker exclaimed, pointing toward the other side of the wooden bridge. As you can tell, the green crystal from before was broken, and the fairy trapped inside was freed. As the victorious fighters slowly approached the fairy, they noticed she only was three-quarters the height of Mario, featuring green-yellow hair tied up in a ponytail. The outfit she wore was green all over, including the wings, with her belly exposed. Her eyes were blue, and her face was enough to tell the group that she is, in fact, a Mii. As the fairy shook her head, she looked around, quickly standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

"Watcha boys doing here?" the fairy asked with a high-pitched voice.

"We were just… rescuing you…" Mario answered, rubbing his head. The fighters then noticed her being a Master Advanced Spirit, seeing her glowing-green body and rainbow aura.

"Where are my sisters?" the fairy asked. "I need to save them as fast as I can!"

"Uh… what?" Marth asked.

"Don't you guys know?" the fairy continued. "I'm a Fab Fairy, the youngest of three sisters! We just showed up here and only now have we been separated!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Joker said. "Calm down. I'm sure we can get you back to your sisters. Why do you need them, by the way?"

"Why, to open the entrance to the Sky Temple and unlock the path to help you guys defeat one of the monsters that are protecting the Galeem Void," the Youngest Fab Fairy answered. "Us Spirits have been trying hard to barge in to fight that Seraph of Order, but it wouldn't work. Do you think I can join you guys until I reunite with my sisters?" The group of warriors looked at each other, wondering what they should do.

"I guess she can come along," Joker remarked, "but only if she doesn't beg for sweets. That fairy acts tough and looks like she wants to consume anything not salad-related."

"I suppose," Marth noted. "After all, she does seem important to opening that temple… whatever it is…" Without objection, the gang alongside the dragon-armored warrior and the Spirit headed to a nearby ancient stone pyramid, laced with vines and covered with moss.


	40. Pt 40: The Prescriber

As Kirby, Villager, Sheik, Captain Falcon, Fox, Link, Mii Swordfighter, and Piranha Plant with the Middle Fab Fairy Spirit on their side of Gallia, they found themselves walking across multi-colored, ball-like hills swirling with white lines and decorated with cotton-candy clouds in the sky. The road itself was made out of golden ribbon.

"What is this place?" Fox asked, both he and the rest of his friends curious just as well.

"These are the Cinnamon Hills," the Middle Fab Fairy answered. "This area may be a sweet as sugar, but the monsters there are rotten to the core." With one step, the Star Fox pilot expected the ribbon road to collapse in midair thanks to their weight, but it was almost solid, like stone. There might have been some magic woven into the silky threads, but walking on a thin path of ribbon is very peculiar indeed. Galeem knew the essential changes necessary to create the perfect world for his own gain. The rest of the fighters then stepped on the ribbon road noticed this too, as the silky texture seemed really out of place.

"We better get going then," Sheik replied. "There's a town and city down south. We might find more Spirits and fighters to rescue there…" The gang then dashed off, with Kirby looking down on the sweet, tasty-looking hills. They did kind of resemble cinnamon rolls after all, hence the name. Only thinking about them more made the pink puffball's stomach growl, and he couldn't help himself. The ribbon road was touching one of them so that Kirby could dive right onto a lavender-colored hill, stuffing his cuddly face with pieces and chunks of the colossal pastry. Only the Piranha Plant and Mii Swordfighter seemed to have noticed, looking down and shaking their heads.

"I know, I know," the Mii Swordfighter sighed. "Don't question the pink puffball." Suddenly, before the group continued further, they heard a cannon fire right at them. A large cannonball was then speeding right towards Kirby, and Captain Falcon quickly noticed it. The bounty hunter quickly dived down to grab Kirby, and a blast of white icing now splattered where the pink puffball once was. After the two fighters slid down the hill, coated in sugary glaze, the eight fighters and the Middle Fab Fairy Spirit saw who fired the cannonball: Iggy Koopa riding a Junior Clown Kart similar to Bowser Jr.'s, accompanied by Luigi dressed in lime-yellow overalls. Both were unfortunately Supporters as they approached Kirby and Captain Falcon, their eyes glowing a bright red.

Once Iggy and the Luigi Supporter grabbed ahold of Kirby and Captain Falcon and generated another large UV barrier, many of the Mii Fighters that were captured by Galeem arrived on the scene, surrounding the remaining six fighters.

"We better rescue all the Spirits and Miis from the Seraph of Order," Fox snarled, pulling out his blaster. "We also gotta protect the Middle Fab Fairy!"

Kirby was slowly waking up to the sound of Captain Falcon being pummeled by Iggy Koopa, followed by the Luigi Supporter slapping harshly. From what the pink puffball could gather, both he and the supersonic bounty hunter are located near some sort of island, where they were on a couple tiny islands of rock surrounded by a huge ocean near a cliffside. In the distance of the tropical island, Miis were riding on jet-skis in a race. It was the ocean side of Wuhu Island.

Quickly noticing Captain Falcon getting beaten up, Kirby took a deep breath, floating over the water and quickly transforming into stone. He landed right in front of Captain Falcon and knocked back the two Supporters. Once the pink puffball helped Captain Falcon up, the two fighters had noticed the puppet fighters landed in the water, struggling to jump out.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Captain Falcon asked. Kirby nodded in agreement, ready to take the risk. The two fighters then jumped near the water, kicking downward so as to keep the Supporters in there and force them to drown. As Iggy and the Luigi Supporter were trying to get out, they were feeling themselves get kicked back into the ocean, trying to climb onto the rocks. Captain Falcon and Kirby were both keeping them in there so that the puppet fighters would eventually get tired and sink, drowning in the water and giving a solid win for the main warriors.

And they were both right. Eventually, after all the jumping from rock to rock and kicking to keep the two Supporters in the water, both Iggy and the Luigi Supporter were getting tired. They had exhausted their muscles after swimming in the water for so long that they couldn't even keep their heads above for air. The Luigi Supporter was the first one to go as the puppet fighter's head sunk into the water, knocking him out. Captain Falcon quickly jumped onto a nearby rock to let Kirby take care of Iggy. Kirby pulled out his hammer, setting it on fire and charging it near the edge of the rock, watching Iggy Koopa quickly jump out of the water with whatever strength he had left and swinging it ferociously. The time spent in the water weakened the puppet fighter's senses drastically, and he received a powerful hit from the pink puffball's hammer, sending him flying to the blast zone and confirming victory for Captain Falcon and Kirby.

* * *

Just back at the Cinnamon Hills, Link, Piranha Plant, Sheik, Fox, Villager, and Mii Swordfighter were busy with the possessed Mii Fighters, trying to free them from their enslavement as well as the Spirits that pulled their strings. The Middle Fab Fairy was hiding behind one of the cotton-candy clouds floating in the air, trying to avoid the conflict going on down below. However, once she saw Villager about to receive a blow from a Mii Swordfighter, she quickly fired an arrow for a counterattack. The Smashville mayor looked up at the hiding Master Advanced Spirit, thanking her for her help before continuing fighting.

Quickly jumping from the sky out of the shattered UV sphere was Kirby and Captain Falcon, teaming up side-by-side and punching rapidly at more incoming Mii Fighters. The pink puffball was ferociously knocking out the enemies while the supersonic slugger was using his signature Falcon Punch as the final hits for his attacks. While the chaos was going on, the Mii Swordfighter was clashing swords with another of his kind, terrified by what happened to them.

"I know you're still a people, but you're my people," the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn said, sliding his blade downward while keeping the sword of his armed opponent locked. "You can fight the Spirit inside of you! At least try!" The message did not get to the Mii Fighter himself however. As he kept clashing swords before the Piranha Plant came by and snatched the possessed Mii by the back with his mouth, swinging harshly before flinging him off to a nearby cinnamon bun-shaped hill.

Fox began using his Illusion move, warping inbetween a Mii Brawler and Mii Gunner in a blue aura, preforming a split kick and launching the possessed Miis in separate directions. Piranha Plant and Sheik teamed up with each other, throwing a barrage of needles and spiked balls. Link and Villager ran up next to Captain Falcon and Kirby, pulling out chopping axes and Sheikah Slate bombs so that they can throw them. Suddenly, a gang of Brawlers, Swordfighters, and Gunners threw themselves right at the seven warriors. Only the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn stood his ground as the rest of his friends quickly jumped out of the way, landing from the magical ribbon road into the pastry-shaped hills. The Mii Swordfighter then opened his eyes, revealing golden irises. The sky itself turned dark, and his friends had noticed it too as they simply sat there, covered in white icing and glaze. Surprised, the possessed Mii Fighters tried to jump out of the way, but to no avail. Crosses off-center appeared in the Mii Swordfighter's eyes, transforming them into a gleaming white. The ex-Ultimate Reborn's sword then started glowing a rainbow aura of colors, slashing rapidly. The waves that were shot out from Mii Swordfighter's weapon ferociously knocked back each and every one of the Mii Fighters, for this was his Final Smash: the Final Edge. Once the sky brightened a bit, the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn fell unconscious on the rainbow road as he reverted back to normal and used up his Final Smash's power.

From what just happened, the possessed Mii Fighters thought there was no effect despite the amount of damage dealt to them, but the Swordfighters themselves noticed they were back to normal, separated from the Spirits that had possessed them and free from Lord Galeem's enslavement. Terrified by what happened, the Brawlers and Gunners quickly retreated out of the Cinnamon Hills, running off into the direction of the Galeem Void.

"What the hell just happened?" Fox McCloud asked, climbing back onto the ribbon road. Piranha Plant quickly helped the Star Fox leader get back on his feet, licking his own face of the sugary pastry taste. Once the gang was back on the path, they saw the Middle Fab Fairy floating down from her hiding place, kneeling next to the Mii Swordfighter's body.

"He's still alive," the Middle Fab Fairy assured. "He just needs to rest for a while after using all that power." Kirby then noticed right in front of the group were all these Mii Swordfighters, slowly waking up and looking at the strange new environment around them.

"What happened? What's going on here? Where are we?" one Swordfighter asked, each one of them having no memory of whatever became of them. To each of the Miis' sides were the Spirits that possessed them, including crowd favorites like Flying Squirrel Toad, Viridi, and the Black Knight.

"You… freed us all," another Mii Swordfighter replied, holding the ex-Ultimate Reborn's limp hand. "We… thank you for your gratitude and salvation."

"Uh, don't forget we did most of the hard work," Captain Falcon butted in. Sheik then elbowed him in the chest, leaving the bounty hunter with a confused face.

"What matters is we've gotten a third of Galeem's enslaved Mii Fighters out of the way," Sheik answered, carrying the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn as the Middle Fab Fairy floated next to her.

"Yeah, but the other two types of those human-like creatures are still out there," Viridi's glowing-red Legendary Spirit objected.

"Then all we have to do is keep searching the land until we have rescued everyone," Link remarked, placing the Sheikah Slate back on his waist.

"Until then, all you Spirits can take a rest in the gem inside Kirby," Sheik finished. "We might call you out if there's a major obstacle in the way…" Kirby then stepped forward, that stone of his ready to absorb the Spirits. Each one of those wispy characters, excluding the Middle Fab Fairy, floated right into the pink puffball's body, going through him like it was nothing.

"And what about the Mii Swordfighters themselves?" Fox questioned, with Villager and Piranha Plant looking at each other.

"Suppose we'll just have to keep moving forward and head to the town I pointed out earlier," Sheik concluded. "They can follow us if they like. It's always great if you have an army by your side in hostile lands like these…" Sheik then walked off, still carrying the Mii Swordfighter in her arms down the ribbon road towards the neighborhood. Her friends and the rescued Miis followed behind her shortly after, traveling to their current destination. However, once they were almost there at the neighborhood, Kirby noticed a mysterious figure standing next to the ribbon path, simply waiting for the newly-founded army to arrive.

"What is it, Kirby?" Link asked, with the whole group simply stopping. The Mii Swordfighters, not counting their leader still resting in Sheik's arms, noticed the figure too. Stepping onto the area where the ribbon path connected with the cobblestone was Dr. Mario himself, wearing the doctor's coat, stethoscope, and everything.

"Your victory may have been successful, but it'll be short-lived," a voice spoke from Dr. Mario's possessed body. Glowing-red eyes gave away that this particular fighter was captured, stopping the whole group dead in their tracks.

"Thought I could simply leave you alone without an introduction?" the Dr. Mario Primary asked. "My name is Dr. Wily, and from your journeys you can probably guess what kind of Spirit I am." A Master Legendary Spirit is shown on Dr. Mario's chest, showing an old crook/mad scientist clearly from Mega Man's world.

"Lemme take care of this guy," Captain Falcon warned his friends, walking forward to the captured fighter while cracking his neck and back.

"So the bounty hunter plans on fighting me, huh?" Dr. Wily inside Dr. Mario asked. "Truly a match made for me." The Dr. Mario Primary then turned his attention towards Link, Sheik, Piranha Plant, and all the other fighters and Mii troops.

"As for the rest of you, don't worry. I borrowed some reinforcements for you people to play with," the Dr. Mario Primary replied. "Primids, ATTACK!" Shadow Bugs quickly spawned right behind the captured fighter, slithering in front of him and taking their physical forms, creating the original Primids, Sword Primids, and Scope Primids. While both the Subspace Army monsters and the Mii Fighter troops with Kirby and his team were engaging with each other, Captain Falcon grabbed ahold of the captured fighter all while a vortex formed around the two, transporting them to another dimension.

* * *

"Let's get it over, shall we?" the Dr. Mario Primary asked, standing before Captain Falcon. The stage they were at was flat, made entirely out of pixeled bricks and two green pipes that weren't accessible. The background itself was pitch-black, and there were strange turtles and crabs crawling in and out of the pipes in the distance. It was the Mario Bros. stage: Final Destination version.

For the captured fighter himself, a strange capsule with a skull on the front landed in front of the Dr. Mario Primary, opening its crystal-clear hatch. Though Dr. Mario's body was unaffected by the transformation of the Master Legendary Spirit within him, it was very clear that the capsule he was piloting belonged to Dr. Wily.

From four special guns, the Dr. Mario Primary fired orbs of fire, ice, and lightning, launching them towards Captain Falcon. The supersonic slugger quickly jumped and dodged, feeling the elemental orbs slightly brush his outfit. The captured fighter then began rapidly spinning, generating electricity as he dashed towards Captain Falcon. With a powerful Falcon Kick, the bounty hunter managed to interrupt the attack, reflecting the heavy knockback on the Dr. Wily Spirit. The Primary did not give up as he quickly pulled out a mechanical arm on his capsule, cloaking himself and turning invisible, appearing behind Captain Falcon a split second later and catching the supersonic slugger off-guard.

Captain Falcon was knocked back from the sheer damage from the Dr. Wily Capsule's elemental orbs alone, but he kept using Raptor Boost nonetheless. The damage done to the capsule's hatch was starting to show as cracks began appearing, nearly on the verge of breaking. The Dr. Mario Primary knew he needed to keep fighting harder in order to defeat the fighter and avoid the Galeem Lock breaking. However, as Captain Falcon began sticking out his knee and releasing shock waves upon impact, the captured fighter was dangerously close to the blast zone of the flat Mario Bros. stage. He was just about to turn invisible while pulling a cloak over himself, but Captain Falcon quickly jumped off and used his classic Falcon Punch, launching the Dr. Mario Primary out of the Dr. Wily Capsule, stealing victory as a confetti blast echoed throughout the destination.

* * *

Back at the Subspace Army fight, the Mii Swordfighters were starting to behead the Primids and chop the Shadow Bug creatures' limbs off, trying to defend the other fighters as well as the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn, who was slowly waking up. He was being comforted by the Middle Fab Fairy, as well as being guarded by Sheik.

"Thank goodness you're up," Sheik said to the ex-Ultimate Reborn while she began throwing flash bombs at the incoming Primids. "We could really use your help…"

Without any time to question how the rest of the Mii Swordfighters were free of Galeem's control, the ex-Ultimate Reborn pulled out his sword, blocking the multiple jabs coming from the Primids. The Miis and the trophies were eventually becoming successful, driving away almost all of the Primids back into their Shadow Bug selves and forcing them to retreat. A vortex appeared out of the sky – the same kind that took Captain Falcon and the Dr. Mario Primary – and the supersonic slugger set his fist on fire and killed the few remaining monsters. After Dr. Mario's unconscious body fell out of the vortex, the Dr. Wily Spirit trapped within him flew right into the gemstone inside Kirby with the strange white mist responsible of these visions. Once the pink puffball's eyes glowed a bright white, both the fighters and the Miis quickly turned around to notice what is happening.

"Are you… okay?" Link asked, trying to touch and comfort Kirby. The pink puffball's body was then hovering a few inches off the ground, and not even the Mii Swordfighter and his people, including the rescued fighters, could do anything to stop this. All they had to do is simply wait and see what Kirby saw in that vision, knowing that whatever the pink puffball saw might be useful in the future.

* * *

Kirby rubbed his eyes, seeing that he had the Smash Ball on his forehead again. A fiery geyser then suddenly erupted right next to him, scaring the pink demon. As Kirby was slowly adjusting to the situation he was in, he recognized that he was back on Ignisu, watching Sozo and Hakai guiding the dragon students across the sooty sky. After the young dragons landed, their teachers landed in front of them. In Sozo's mouth was some sort of tiny orb similar to the one used aboard the Undying Light. The golden-eyed dragon then leaned close to the ground, placing the orb on the iron dirt. Some of the students were trying to gnaw off special bracelets on their forelegs, but to no avail.

"It's best if these bracelets stay on your legs," Sozo explained. "The orb I just placed will grant us access to the Sky Temple Training Arena should anything happen to us. Now… let us begin." Walking towards his brother, Sozo began generating flames from his silk-like wings. He took off into the air with Hakai, and the two were preforming some kind of dance in the air. The flames between their wings grew stronger, and the two dragons then flew towards the ground with a flaming slam away from the orb. The ground rumbled and startled the young students. Once a hole ripped through the ground, dim flames were flickering out. All the Dragosmos-in-training then gathered around Hakai and Sozo, waiting for his word.

"First, you are going to be learning about the Rainbolement of Fire," Sozo continued. "As you can see, there are elemental powers we like to call the Rainbolements that make up the world we live in, and anyone who has control over all seven has the power to change the universe as we know it… even beyond."

"You hear that?" Galeem quietly asked his sister. "We could be literal gods."

"I clearly am as excited as you are, Galeem," Phoenix remarked.

"Can you two try to lower your voices?" Ultima whispered. "Our teacher's still talking..."

"However, those who have such abilities in their grasps require massive training to fight for what's right," Sozo sustained. "Anyone who disobeys and uses them unwillingly will definitely suffer the consequences." The young students began murmuring to each other, and the only dragons that kept quiet were Ultima and her two brothers.

"You really don't have to go that deep, bro," Hakai noted to Sozo. "Lemme have a go at this." The purple-eyed dragon then walked with jittery steps towards the young dragons.

"What Sozo means is that all seven Rainbolements are pretty awesome, but anyone that wants more is sure to fall into the forces of evil," Hakai told the students. "Trust me: my brother and I learned it the hard way when we were out at several battles with our father, Lord Ceresor…" Shaking his left wing, Hakai revealed that his silky, normal-looking wing was just a disguise to hide the scars concealed. The young dragons gasped in awe as they saw on Hakai's left wing was a tinted scar shaped much like a humanoid hand. The same applied for Sozo when he shook off his disguise, this time on the right wing, and revealed something similar to Hakai's healed wounds but mirrored.

"These were the battle marks left on our wings," Sozo renowned. "We couldn't fly for months because we became too careless when we first obtained the seven Rainbolements, hence our father giving us the nicknames 'Hands-in-Command' when we took to the skies again. Since then, we have become careful not to fall into temptation. Now… let us start with something basic." The teachers and their students then perched over the hole ripped into the ground, surprised by what they saw. It was almost complete blackness down there save for a few flames and the occasional lava pours, and the earth itself was an unnatural coal color.

"The first Rainbolement is rather basic, and it shows us about the Fire, as mentioned before," Sozo explained. "The Fire focuses on power: the kind that fuels the body and keeps us warm even in the coldest of winters. When those that harness Fire unleash the scorching heat that is commonly seen in most dragons nowadays, they control their own heat and choose whether to accept it or let go of it, depending on which situation they're in. There are many natural Rainbolemental breathers habiting Arcus, but they only earned their powers through the native planets they and their ancestors were born to. Only those purely born on Arcus' soil can master all seven. Hope all of you are ready for your challenge."

"What kind of challenge?" one Dragosmo student asked.

"The challenge of defeating the gelatinous monster – Magmani, the Lava Blob," Sozo finished. "Follow me and focus on the steps my brother and I will take." Afterwards, both commanders dove down deep into the pit. Following them were Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima, and the rest of the young dragons flew right behind. It was rather dark underground, but the magma and flames provided good illumination. The deeper they went, the hotter and denser the air became. Eventually, Sozo and Hakai landed on solid ground, with the young dragons landing behind them.

"Careful," Sozo whispered. "We're here… in the lair of Magmani." As soon as the golden-eyed commander mentioned the Lava Blob's name, there was laughter echoing throughout the holes in the ground. Streams of brightly-glowing lava compared to average magma leaks met with each other at the center only feet away from the dragons themselves. There, formed right in front of the Dragosmos was an overweight, big-mouthed blob that was clearly seen as Magmani. On his neck was a golden chain, and dangling from it was some sort of gleaming ruby.

"Tuik tai nofla treina?" Magmani asked. The obese blob was speaking in Ignisun, and what he meant was, "Who dares enter my home without permission?"

"It is just us, Sozo and Hakai," Sozo answered. "We brought along new students to help with their training."

"Chiniqu kunormi hanazh treino (Every decade you two always bring new students)," Magmani coughed, "ti nu goni washa na tisi tusna: Ignisu Tizna (and everytime you visit me in my humble home you encourage them to touch my prized possession: the Fire Ruby)."

"Tishna chorna (And for what)?" Magmani continued. "Yu taikna kanashi ostina tushnica yinacti olnema (So that you can waste those burning powers when you should have taken me up to the surface to frolic)?"

"That's… not very normal of you today, Magmani," Hakai stammered, backing away as Sozo calmly stood his ground.

"…Chinios quiznoa ostina, tonachni urmani ilnocana (…Everyday I think about the surface world, dreaming what it would be like to roam the outside world)," Magmani growled. "Tichnam ghunas tichan oustana yougnai hashnag outoalena tugosnsoa (But who would really want to hang out with you when you're a simpleton monster that was raised in the darkness his whole life and was forced to become the only guardian of their life source)...?" The gelatinous blob was touching the Fire Ruby around his neck, thinking about the outside world.

"If there's anything we would like to do, perhaps we can help at the cost of the Fire Rainbolement once more…" Sozo replied. The overweight magma monster looked away, pondering about the question that was asked of him.

"Thi… nisu (Okay… fine)," Magmani answered. "Q yi nios tu nutszka tha shickw oa, mawhena theiso dosntisoa nituasi (I will give you what you ask for, but only if you take me to the surface world)."

"Can do, will do," Hakai replied with a joyous smile on his face. A few seconds later, Sozo and his brother walked closer to the obese blob.

"What did the fat guy say?" one young dragon asked.

"He speaks in the Ignisu tongue, which we know, yet he understands the common language," Sozo answered. "Please do not call him that since he is sensitive about his weight. He's basically asking us to pitch in and take him to the surface world."

"How come?" another Dragosmo student remarked.

"He longs to see the light of day after years of isolation," Sozo replied, flying in front of Magmani with Hakai. Breathing gently, the two commanders covered their bodies in some sort of magic to protect themselves from the blob monster's heat. To them, it would feel like carrying a load of slime. However, Magmani's lava body held on tight, so it was hard to simply break him up into chunks and carry him to the surface. Plus, all that magma collected after flowing through the underground cracks really added a lot to his hips. The two dragons attempted on lifting, but Magmani simply wouldn't budge.

"This… could be a bit of a problem…" Sozo muttered, letting go of Magmani's body for a brief moment. Hakai saw his brother stop, and he quickly did the same.

"Shinsiam… turnait B (Alright… plan B)," Magmani sighed. "Ti nostuai sthaow Ignisu Rainbolement dilaskd nini (How about each month I give an increased power in the Fire Rainbolement to these little dragons here)? Tishin daithsk knada tusian tiask nistoi lishaoth ti shaks (That way you can spend each half of the month training from baby steps and another by digging me out)?"

"Sounds like a fair deal…" Sozo noted, landing on the ground in front of the students with Hakai. The young Dragosmo students then walked forward, watching Magmani slip the golden chain off his neck. It sliced through his neck, but the magma skin quickly merged back together as if it was nothing. Fiery powers began flowing from the Fire Ruby, and each wisp went right through the young dragons, each one feeling a new warmth within their chests.

"This is so cool!" Galeem laughed, feeling a gust of fire emerge from his mouth willfully. Most of the young dragons backed away, noticing this new change.

"Careful, Galeem," Sozo chuckled. "You don't want to burn someone on your first day." Magmani then took the necklace with the Fire Ruby attached, slipping it back on his chubby neck. Kirby, who was still watching them this whole time, then started to expect the brightening if the environment, meaning what the vision had to offer for now was over.

* * *

Kirby slowly woke up, standing up a bit faster than when he first experienced these past memories. Maybe it was because all those days the stone he swallowed granting him those visions must've made him used to them, but one thing's for sure: they were all too real to be fake. Fox, Link, Villager, Captain Falcon, Sheik, Mii Swordfighter, and Piranha Plant were all surrounding him, wondering if he was okay. To their surprise, the pink puffball jumped up like it was nothing.

"What happened back there?" Captain Falcon asked. "…No need to tell us since we already know you don't talk much…"

"It's probably those visions," Mii Swordfighter answered. The other fighters turned towards the ex-Ultimate Reborn, confused.

"Do you think the stone he swallowed is doing something?" Sheik replied. The Mii Swordfighter simply shrugged, with the rest of the Miis noticing Dr. Mario waking up.

"M-Mario!" Kirby cried, noticing the doctor clone in his usual jacket slowly sitting up as if he just awakened from a coma. The seven fighters quickly rushed towards Dr. Mario, with Kirby hugging the doctor as tightly as he can.

"L-Listen, puffball… I'm Dr. Mario," the doctor remarked. "Hopefully you can understand the difference between me and the real Mario." Kirby broke the hug to quickly know the words.

"Look!" Link exclaimed. "We're almost at the town and city!" The Champion of Hyrule then ran off, with the Mii Swordfighters and the rest of the World of Trophies residents following after him. Kirby simply stood behind, with the Middle Fab Fairy floating towards him.

"I may not know what kind of stories you're seeing, but if you find anything, you can tell us… that is… if you find someone who either knows what you're saying or experiences these visions with you so he or she can tell the others…" the Middle Fab Fairy noted. "Now we better get going. The sun is about to set soon and we need to find shelter in that neighborhood." Kirby nodded, running off with the Middle Fab Fairy to the rest of their friends as the gleaming red sun descended into the horizon.


	41. Pt 41: The Villages in Peril

Night was seeping in, coating the sky in a twinkling river of stars. The cool breeze seeped into the dark caves that Mario, Marth, Joker, Olimar, PAC-MAN, and Donkey Kong with Faker and the Youngest Fab Fairy were traveling through. It took a while to get to the other side of the cave, but they noticed that it was pitch-black on the other side of the cave, with only the moon shining in the starry background.

"Looks like we're going to have to camp here for the night," Joker noted, admiring the stars without stepping foot outside.

"I'll get food and some firewood," Faker told the group, creating a fireball in her hand so she can light her way through the woods nearby.

"Be careful out-a there," Mario said, watching both the brown-skinned warrior and the Master Advanced Spirit they rescued head out.

"I'm going with her!" the Youngest Fab Fairy said, pulling out her bow and putting on her angry face. "She's going to need defense thanks to her amnesia!" Once the two were gone, the fighters all sat down on the ground inside the cave's exit, with the moonlight shining bright enough to show their faces.

"I… really wasn't expecting any of this," Joker sighed.

"Expecting what?" Marth asked.

"Well, expecting to have my life go so smoothly by being an average high-school student by day and a Phantom Thief at night, ridding the world of the sins that have plagued people's dreams…" Joker answered, "only to have it all crushed by the light and be one of the only few survivors out there that had their homeworlds destroyed and their closest friends transformed into these Spirits… I'm not really comfortable with traveling around the world, and yet I miss mine already..."

"You think you, that Piranha Plant, and the other four fighters you've mentioned before have problems?" Mario explained. "Before Galeem arrived, we were all stranded here, with no memories of our past, for ten long years. Never aging, never getting the chance to head back home. After Tabuu's first defeat, we had decided to settle on Arcadia as our new home… call us prisoners with no guard, if you will. The only one that seemed to have all knowledge with just about everything we have ever done was Sonic the Hedgehog. He claimed that he traveled to different worlds to look for his own friends, only to escape into Arcadia after solving the Master Hand's test and before being transformed into a trophy which renders… our amnesia. However, thanks to the events that had unfolded lately, we've been remembering a bit more about ourselves, even what powers we can use in these… Smash Balls…"

"Right…" Joker said, watching Olimar, PAC-MAN, and Donkey Kong cuddle close to each other and fall asleep. "Have any idea what that test even is? If there really was only one of these… Master Hands? I've heard legends of a giant, floating, disembodied right-hand made of silk that hides in the light realm of my world, and a chaotic, left-handed doppelganger lurking in the darkness, both of them in areas where we cannot reach. They say the doppelganger loves the darkness so much it resides in the shadow of its fraternal, and both have been described being one of many that roam every planet out there, which are by the billions, searching and wandering aimlessly. Few have survived and lived to tell the tale, and I thought that it was just another old-timer ranting about random crap… until I've been stranded here with you guys and actually came across one…" Joker ended his sentence with a slight chuckle, looking out into the pale stars twinkling the sky.

"Well, we really don't know what that test even is, let alone just a random capture and almost like… our souls ripped out from our bodies…" Marth answered, starting to trail off. Then, a brief image flashed in his head, terrifying the Hero-King a bit. The image itself was only a split-second long, but it was enough for him to remember it. It featured the Master Hand himself, placing his middle finger on Marth's face, his index and ring fingers on his hands, and his pinky finger and thumb on his feet, doing something to Marth that somehow showed his Fighter Spirit being separated from his body. As soon as Marth snapped out, Mario and Joker looked at him in a little bit of confusion.

"I'm sorry," Marth noted, followed by a yawn. "I'm just really tired and… lost my train of thought… Goodnight anyway." Without another word, the Hero-King fell fast asleep, wrapped in his own cape. Nonetheless, Joker continued to quietly chat with Mario.

"There's still a lot I have to get my head wrapped in about this world," Joker continued. "Like, for example, that girl that's been hitting on me as of late… Faker, was it? Yeah, she doesn't look like she's from around here, as I've never seen her among the warriors that have survived Galeem's attack. She doesn't seem like a pure-bred fighter either."

"I don't know, Joker," Mario replied. "She's neither of the World of Trophies or one of the few survivors of Galeem's attack. Maybe there's something more important to her than we think, and whatever is disconnected from her head may tell us anything about Galeem's intentions. If only we weren't separated from Kirby and the rest of the gang…" As soon as Mario was finished talking, Faker and the Youngest Fab Fairy returned, with Faker carrying a small bundle of sticks in one hand and two rabbit carcasses in the other.

"We didn't find much firewood, but hey! At least we have a couple of capons to eat for supper," Faker said. Mario and Joker looked at her, noticing she didn't hear a word of what they said since their conversation was private among them.

"About-a time," Mario sighed. "It's getting a little-a chilly here…"

"…I'll start dinner," Faker calmly pointed out, placing the sticks into a bundle at the center of the group, instantly making a campfire with a little effort in her powers. She then was about to begin skinning the rabbit bodies with her dragon blade.

"You clearly don't know how to cook," Mario objected. "Do you mind if we help you out?"

"Why, that would be lovely," Faker replied with a smile on her face. Both Joker and Mario slowly inched towards her, attempting to show her how to roast rabbits properly.

"I'll be guarding the cave," the Youngest Fab Fairy told the three adventurers, pulling out some sort of special arrow dotted with magical musical notes on the tip and resting it on her wooden bow. Everything else from that point forward was rather peaceful, making it through another night without a random ambush.

* * *

Morning dawned in, with the whole cast of fighters slowly waking up. The campfire died out, and there were rabbit bones with rather small bits of perfectly-cooked meat on them bundled up in a small pile next to the ashes. The group was slowly waking up, and they heard Faker's voice calling out to them.

"You have to come up here and see this!" Faker called out.

"There's a tiny village up here! We're sure to find something!" the Youngest Fab Fairy finished. Alarmed by this, Mario, Donkey Kong, Marth, Olimar, PAC-MAN, and Joker quickly ran out of the cave to meet up with Faker and the Master Advanced Mii Spirit. As soon as the six fighters met up with their two companions, they saw what appeared to be a medieval village. However, there was something different about this place, like it was mostly overgrown with vines, and everything was deserted.

"Mamma mia…" Mario moaned, uncomfortable in this situation. "This is the exact same problem when I was with Link, Cloud, and everyone else I can't think about right now when we visited the village the ex-soldier took shelter in…"

"Sure seems like it," Joker pointed out, pulling out his dagger. The Phantom Thief of Hearts then noticed to their right was the purple-foggy swamp, becoming denser than before, but he felt like it was not important right now. As the group of warriors were walking through the empty village, they felt like something was off.

"Guys…?" Marth asked, his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "Do you ever get the feeling that we're being watched?"

"Sure do," Mario answered.

"Same here," Faker replied, setting her hands on fire and constantly looking around, keeping her guard up. Hiding in each house was a corrupted Mii Brawler and/or Gunner, with a mysterious figure with glowing-red eyes watching the advancing group, somehow undetected. However, once the mysterious figure moved, there was a rustle faint enough for the Youngest Fab Fairy to hear.

"Do you guys hear that?" the Master Advanced Spirit asked, pulling out her bow and arrow at the location she heard the noise coming from. The fighters quickly turned around to see what she meant by this, but when they turned around, they saw Faker already in her battle position, the dragon-tooth sword already pulled out.

For reasons unknown, she began feeling vibrations in the earth, sensing intruders that scampered around in the abandoned village. With her heart beating rapidly, Faker created a fiery ball and threw it with as much strength as she can muster. The exploding impact of the fireball and its targeted village hut caused corrupted Mii Brawlers and Mii Gunners to jump out, as well as the person who was stalking them: Lucas under the Galeem Lock. The possessed Mii Fighters surrounded the group, with the Gunners firing plasma blasts without warning. The Youngest Fab Fairy began to float in the air and fire her Dancing Arrows, hitting only a few Mii Fighters. The enemies were then forced to dance thanks to the arrows' spells, and they were easily distracted from Donkey Kong's powerful, one-hit punch that knocked them out of the village. PAC-MAN and Olimar then jumped on the gorilla's back, with PAC-MAN pulling out a trampoline and grabbing Olimar, and the Hocotate captain grabbed his Pikmin, lashing harshly with the little alien companions against the corrupted troops. Marth, Mario, and Joker all tried to run in towards Faker, who was trying to hit one of the Mii Fighters with her dragon-tooth sword. However, the captured Miis kept jumping out of the way of her swings and quickly approached the fighters that came to defend her. As a small swarm of Mii Brawlers and Gunners jumped on top of Joker, Mario, and Marth, brutally attacking, Faker tried throwing her fiery blasts at the Lucas Primary, who began absorbing the blasts with his PSI barrier. She knew that flames wouldn't be enough to stop the captured fighter.

After the Lucas Primary took another step, he generated vibrations that only Faker could sense, and there was something in her sense hearing that helped her predict her opponent's next move. The Lucas Primary then jumped into the air and began using his PK Thunder move, launching himself towards the brown-skinned warrior. Out of sheer luck, Faker twitched her fingers as she stood still, creating a large rock stub right in front of her and blocking the Lucas Primary's signature attack. Faker then spawned dirt and mud out of nowhere, wrapping it all around the captured fighter's body and trapping him with his head exposed. Faker then lowered the pillar that blocked the PK Thunder move from before, amazed by the new ability she had discovered. She then noticed Marth, Joker, and Mario finally pushing away the Mii Gunners and Brawlers, attempting to join with PAC-MAN, Olimar, and Donkey Kong.

"I got you a new friend!" Faker called out, pointing at the Lucas Primary.

"Wait… how did you-?" Joker asked before being interrupted by Marth.

"Now's not the time for questions, Joker!" Marth disrupted. "I'm gonna rescue Lucas. The rest of you take care of these Miis!" The Hero-King then ran towards the struggling Lucas Primary, avoiding the incoming Mii Brawlers and Mii Gunners. With a single touch, both Marth and the captured fighter were transported somewhere else, leaving Faker, the Youngest Fab Fairy, and the rest of the warriors to try and hold back the advancing troops.

* * *

Marth was slowly looking around, noticing the stage he ended up in was an Omega version of New Pork City, and the Master Legendary Spirit that was possessing the Lucas Primary was the Masked Man. In Lucas' world, his name was Claus and he was the older twin brother of the captured fighter Marth was facing right now, but the events that had unfolded in the past changed him drastically, making him into a cyborg void of emotion and personality, and that was just the look the Lucas Primary was going for. Robotic parts began forming on the captured fighter's body, covering half of his face in a helmet with only a glowing-red eye piercing through the right side, and a yellow-beam sword was pulled out from his left arm.

As soon as the Lucas Primary dashed towards Marth, the Hero-King quickly pulled out his Exalted Falchion, clashing with the beam blade attached to the captured fighter's arm. Jumping to and fro, Marth was striking the Lucas Primary with his sword, striking his opponent's main weapon. The Lucas Primary then generated his PK Fire move, forcing Marth to dodge to the other side. The Hero-King was rather safe, but he noticed the end of his cape caught fire. Quickly putting it out by fanning the cape, Marth quickly got up and continued the swordfight between himself and the Master Legendary Spirit that had possessed Lucas.

Slashing rapidly, Marth danced gracefully, moving as fast as the wind on the tip of the Exalted Falchion, watching out for any sudden movements of the captured PSI blonde. With a powerful dash attack, the Lucas Primary was about to hit the Hero-King, but Marth successfully managed to counter the hit, sending the captured fighter flying off with enough damage. The Lucas Primary then tried using PK Thunder to recover, generating an electrical forcefield around him, and Marth quickly hopped up and slashed downward before the possessed warrior could get the chance. Afterwards, the Lucas Primary was knocked-out, and the background of New Pork City collapsed into Shadow Bugs.

Marth was suspended in midair, pointing the Spirit Sniper at the Master Legendary Spirit that had Lucas' body. The Masked Man was in control of the spinning barrier, waiting for the Hero-King to miss. However, the Hero-King did not miss his mark as he sniped perfectly, freeing both Lucas and the Masked Man Spirit from the Galeem Lock. White mist flew out from the unconscious body that had been captured as before.

* * *

After an intense fight with the Mii Brawlers and Gunners, Mario, Joker, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, as well as Faker and the Youngest Fab Fairy, managed to drive off the possessed warriors away from the abandoned village, emerging victorious. Marth appeared out of a vortex in midair, carrying Lucas' body in his arms as he landed safely in front of his friends.

"Did you take care of the Mii Fighters?" Marth asked.

"Got them real good," Joker answered, placing his mask back on his face. "They won't be bothering us for quite a while."

"I managed to rescue Lucas," Marth said, attempting to wake the blond-haired boy in his arms. Lucas quickly regained conscious, rubbing his head and showing the normal, cartoony-black eyes he had before rather than the red lights that replaced his sockets. He looked around, curious about where he was at.

"What… what happened?" Lucas asked, hopping out of Marth's arms.

"He saved you," Joker answered, his arms folded across his chest.

"Who are you?" Lucas noted, seeing the Phantom Thief for the first time.

"That's-a Joker," Mario responded, "apparently one of the few survivors of Galeem's attack. In our group, we also have Faker, and the Youngest Fab Fairy."

"Man, are you lucky, Joker," Lucas sighed. "I guess I'm just the little coward around here, huh?" The Youngest Fab Fairy then saw a large gate on the left side of the far end of the village.

"Looks like this is my stop!" the Youngest Fab Fairy cheered, departing from the group. The Master Advanced Spirit flew towards the gate, feeling the fighters a little questioned.

"You guys go on ahead without me!" the Youngest Fab Fairy continued. "This is the gateway to the Sky Temple, and I need the magic of my other two sisters to get through here."

"Um… okay?" Marth replied in question.

"We have to save the rest of our friends!" Lucas whimpered. "Who knows what kinds of terrible stuff Galeem is doing to them right now?"

"Probably nothing good, I think," Joker answered, not even knowing what the rest of the fighters went through.

"The next fighter we rescue might be able to help us in our mission to defeat the Seraph of Order," Mario said.

"Why don't we take a ride in that bus…?" Faker added, pointing to a bus that lead into some sort of cave, and the Kapp'n Spirit was waiting inside at the driver's seat.

"Next stop: the Red-Roof Village!" Kapp'n whooped while honking the horn.

"I think whatever end of the road is waiting for us once we get in that bus is sure to earn us something good," Marth replied.

"…Really?" Joker objected. "Because I just saw a pathway that leads into some sort of… swamp…? I don't really know… How about I go check it out inside the bus while the rest of you can head toward the marshes?"

"I don't think the rest of us see an opinion on why you can't go," Marth answered, shrugging. With a smirk on his face, the Phantom Thief of Hearts walked towards the yellow bus, stepping inside as soon as the door opened.

"You won't go far, right?" Joker added. The group shook their heads, knowing he would be safe no matter what was at the next stop. Kapp'n then drove off into the cave, leaving Faker and the rest of the fighters behind.

* * *

Minutes had passed, and Kapp'n's bus was moving fast enough to reach the next stop. Standing at the bus's exit, Joker stepped out, looking around the village he set foot in.

"I'll be waitin' here if ya need me," Kapp'n reminded. Joker then began looking around, amazed by how quiet the next village was, and it was just as dormant as the medieval town they had been in a while ago. Rain began falling from the sky, soaking Joker's raven-black hair and coat. Roaming the forest side of the village, Joker looked to his left, seeing the fissure of light erupting high into the sky, making it such likely that no one can get past no matter how high. Shortly after, the Spirits that had stayed inside of the village – Raiden, Ralsei, Stealth Elf, and Heihachi – appeared right behind the Phantom Thief.

"You should leave," Raiden said. Joker turned around to notice the four Spirits behind him.

"I'm just chilling here, minding my own business," Joker chuckled.

"What we mean is serious," Stealth Elf growled, pulling out her daggers. "Now you have to get out of here or the Shackrabs will arrive, as we told the last two travelers that ended up here…"

"Listen, buddies: I fight monsters all the time," Joker objected, smiling. "Simply adding stupid words to monsters won't make them any more terrifying."

"That name will be if you don't leave this instant," Prince Ralsei answered.

"Just let me take care of my job, and I'll assure you everything will be fine," Joker sighed.

"Good luck!" Heihachi said. "Don't blame us once the Shackrabs tear off your limbs and suck the marrow from your bones!" Joker simply stopped and shook his head.

"Why don't you people leave in Kapp'n's bus if you're so terrified?" Joker asked.

"We couldn't before… but we'll let you pass," Raiden answered. "Thank you for offering us a one-way ticket out of here."

"Don't mention it," the Phantom Thief noted. "Just call whoever's still around to evacuate. I'll try finding an objective that I can do." Joker then walked off, wiping the heavy raindrops from his mask. Once the rain itself cleared up a bit, Joker glared at his right, noticing glowing-red eyes and a white mist shaping what appeared to be Isabelle. The anthropomorphic puppy walked towards him, standing at about half his height.

"Aw," Joker teased. "Aren't you the cutest thing?"

"Who are you calling cute?" a semi-robotic voice spoke from the Isabelle Primary. "My name is Susanna Patrya Haltmann, former assistant of the Haltmann Works Company and daughter of President Haltmann!" Susie was shown to be the Master Legendary Spirit possessing the mayor's secretary, and she looked like she was clearly from Kirby's universe.

"Good choice of body possession, by the way," Joker chortled. "You look really adorable in that vessel. Too bad you're under Galeem's control and I have to kill you anyway."

"Say no more!" the Isabelle Primary snarled, hopping onto Joker's chest and transporting the both of them through a vortex that she herself had created.

Joker slowly kneeled up, adjusting his vision and looking around to see the Town and City from Villager's and Isabelle's world, watching the adorable little puppy deemed as his rival walking up to him, changing her form. First, a special visor formed on the sides of her face; then, her legs vanished as her skirt took a thin, bell-like form. Finally, her arms became detached from her body, pulling out a special blaster as her eyes began gleaming red and the white aura flashed brighter in envy.

"Us Spirits long for our freedom… but after what Galeem did to us, we have no choice…" Susie growled, running towards the Phantom Thief.

"I can spare you both, but you'll have to trust me," Joker sighed, trying to reconcile. "You can simply jump off the stage so there would be no harm done to either one of us. That way, you would be both free from the Galeem Lock."

"Whatever Galeem commands us to do, we have no choice but to listen," Susie answered, approaching closer. "Now, prepare to die." The Isabelle Primary then began firing her little blaster, not even flinching the Phantom Thief as the damage built up. When Joker received enough damage from simply standing there, the captured fighter then pulled out a squeaky hammer, jabbing as hard as she could as she shut her eyes and began swinging away. There was a little pain on Joker's knees, but that was just about it.

 _Hehe… she's cute,_ Joker thought, smiling at the damage Susie was trying to do. _Well, it was worth a shot._ Joker quickly took off his mask, releasing Arsene. The Persona quickly clapped his wing-like appendages, launching the Isabelle Primary far off thanks to her light weight. Susie inside Isabelle's body then quickly called in a special, top-shaped piloting robot with her special visor. However, the deadly bullets and flamethrowers did not prove to be enough as the rage was built up inside Joker and he slashed harshly with his dagger, knocking the Isabelle Primary into the blast zone.

"That was pretty anti-climactic," Joker teased, watching the incoming Shadow Bugs from the background of the stage. "Perhaps next time you should either choose someone stronger or put in a cuter Spirit…"

* * *

Time had passed on, and the sky was much clearer with mostly clouds back at the abandoned village. Kapp'n drove his bus out of the cave, and floating out were all the Spirits that were kept inside the Red-Roof Village, and Joker stepped out with a soaking-wet Isabelle in his arms.

"You're gonna be okay, alright?" Joker consoled, rubbing the unconscious anthro-dog's body.

"Hey, if you ever need me, I'll be at the lake next to the base down south," Kapp'n noted, floating out of his own bus. "I can assure y'all it'll be one heck of a trip." The turtle Spirit then flew off into the distance, never seen for a long while.

"Now all the both of us have gotta do is look for our friends… considering they went off without us…" Joker sighed, trying to keep Isabelle's body warm.

"Oh, they already left for the marshes," the Youngest Fab Fairy pointed out. "They can't have gone that far…"

"Great," Joker sighed with relief. "Thanks."


	42. Pt 42: The Yoga Warrior

As morning arrived over the horizon, Kirby's group was already at the neighborhood. However, due to the fact that the doors were also barred, they were strict enough to not let anyone in. So, they were forced to sleep on the streets in the middle of a couple houses. All they had for shelter was a cardboard hut. It was terrible. Luckily, they managed to get enough rest to continue their adventure.

Kirby was the first to wake up, stepping onto the stone road and look at the towering modern skyscrapers next to the small, common houses. The pink puffball then spat out the stone that was given to him by Faker, admiring the deep violet shining in rainbow colors as soon as the sunlight gleamed on its surface. The Piranha Plant woke up next, moving left to right to walk with that flower pot of his, taking in the first few rays of daylight. The carnivorous flower looked at Kirby, noticing that the pink puffball was sighing. He was probably thinking about Mario and the rest of his friends, wondering where they could be. Afterwards, Link, Fox, Captain Falcon, Sheik, Dr. Mario, Villager, and Mii Swordfighter walked out onto the empty road. Kirby quickly swallowed the gem again, looking back at the Mii Swordfighter as the group walked off.

"You know about the plant, don't you?" Mii Swordfighter asked, mentioning Piranha Plant. Ever since that incident back at the bridge to cross the light fissure, Sheik and the ex-Ultimate Reborn had just found out that the Piranha Plant they had met with was the reincarnation of Petey Piranha, one of the major enemies that was part of the Subspace Army, responsible for capturing both Peach and Zelda in the first place. Kirby, knowing the dire situation, nodded.

"We probably don't know how that plant managed to make it back here, but he seems like he's on our side now…" the Mii Swordfighter noted. "Whatever you see in those visions may help us.. if we can understand you at all…" Both the Middle Fab Fairy and the Swordfighter army arrived from the Cinnamon Hills, exhausted after staying up all night to guard the town for any intruders.

"I don't really understand why everywhere we go, everything's locked up tight," Link noted.

"Maybe it's because of the fact that Galeem sees us retaliating," Sheik answered. "Therefore, the Spirits that he had captured are being dragged here, forced to possess his clones and stop us from reaching to him."

"Why doesn't he just simply use his lasers move again and kill us off?" Fox asked.

"Because that major attack had drained half of his total energy," a voice spoke clearly not from the group of fighters or the Mii Swordfighter army. Standing right in front of Kirby and his group was the Wii Fit Trainer, with glowing-red eyes and a white aura.

"You had just picked a bad time to arrive at Morrowsville," a strange voice spoke from Wii Fit Trainer. "They would not allow anyone in unless with a professional."

"Excuse me… who are you to possess our friend like this?" Captain Falcon asked.

"I am Face Nemesis, otherwise known as Mecha-Fiora!" the yoga warrior admitted, with an image of the transformed Homs-into-Mechon in the form of a Master Legendary Spirit. "You had certainly picked a bad time to just barge in here to our peaceful world."

"Peaceful?" the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn asked. "Look around you, sister! Despite how go-lucky everything seems, there's nothing but order, and Galeem's troops are forcing us to do stuff we never wanted to do in the first place!"

"All you have to do is give up our friend," Fox McCloud snarled, pointing his blaster at Wii Fit Trainer. "That way, there can be no need for violence."

"If Galeem wants order, he wants us all to fight to the death," the voice inside the yoga warrior remarked, "and his light will burn away EVERYTHING!"

"Woah… don't wanna get too emotional…" Link forcefully chuckled, sweat dripping down his forehead. The Champion of Hyrule knew this was going to be another tough fight. Link then felt himself grabbed by the neck and taken with the corrupted Wii Fit Trainer, teleported through another vortex. As soon as Link and the Wii Fit Trainer Primary had vanished, Kirby and his companions heard the clattering of chains approaching them.

"Shackrabs," the Mii Swordfighter said, pulling out his sword. The Swordfighter army then drew their weapons, ready to attack the deadly monsters.

"Aim for inbetween their claws," the ex-Ultimate Reborn told everyone. "It's their weakest link." The advancing Shackrabs crawled towards the army, crushing the rooftops of the houses in the process with their strong claws. Pouncing at the group like spiders, the creatures sent by Galeem and his forces attacked.

Many of the Mii Swordfighters began dodging the powerful claws, slicing downward on the chains and breaking them, instantly killing several Shackrabs. Sheik, Fox, and Piranha Plant all began rapidly dashing around the creatures, trying to look for an opening for an attack and striking down ferociously at the monsters' weak spots.

* * *

Link attempted on blocking the Sun Salutation attack created by the Wii Fit Trainer Primary, running towards her on the ground that is the Final Destination portion of the Wii Fit Studio stage. The Champion of Hyrule then pulled out his boomerang, throwing it as hard as he could at the yoga warrior. Mecha-Fiora inside Wii Fit Trainer's body kicked out a footbag and attempted to dodge it while she was booting, but she was too late as Link's projectile hit her. The Champion of Hyrule then pulled out a bow and arrow, firing a perfect shot at the Primary before she could react.

Link then pulled out a bomb, throwing it at the Wii Fit Trainer Primary. As soon as she knew what happened next, Link pulled out his Sheikah Slate, detonating it and making a blue explosion. It was enough to knock her off the stage, but she pulled out a set of hoops out of nowhere and planned to recover with the air flowing around her. Link managed to jump up and strike downward with his Master Sword, knocking her straight into the blast zone.

The environment went dark, and Link pulled out the Spirit Sniper, pointing it at Wii Fit Trainer, guarded by Face Nemesis' Master Legendary Spirit thanks to a barrier. The Champion of Hyrule fired, but this time he hit the barrier itself, creating a large gap in the forcefield. The Shadow Bugs that dissolved the stage's background surrounded Link, slowly consuming him at his feet. Link knew he had to fire again to avoid being taken by the Subspace Army. Watching the spinning barrier go faster, Link used a second shot, hitting the Wii Fit Trainer and freeing both the yoga warrior and Mecha-Fiora from the Galeem Lock. The Champion of Hyrule escaped from the retreating Shadow Bugs and grabbed Wii Fit Trainer's rescued body, teleporting back to Gallia.

* * *

The only thing Link missed after his fight with the Wii Fit Trainer Primary was the Shackrab attack, and his companions drove the surviving monsters off, despite all the scratches on the fighters' faces and some of the Mii Swordfighters killed. The Champion of Hyrule began carrying Wii Fit Trainer's body back to the group, and both the white mist and the Mecha-Fiora Spirit flew right into Kirby's body. The Spirit was absorbed by the stone, and the mist rigged another vision inside the pink puffball's head, causing his eyes to glow white again. Both the Mii Swordfighters and the group of rescued fighters backed away, waiting patiently for Kirby to come back after what he had seen.

Inside Kirby's mind, the pink puffball noticed he was back on Ignisu, and the landscape itself was slightly changed due to the layers of cooling lava on the planet's surface. Before Kirby could catch a break, the ground underneath him was starting to crumble. Even though he was practically like a ghost in these visions, never seen, heard, or felt by anything around him, Kirby knew he had to get out of the way to see what happened next. A large crack opened up, and out flew a swarm of the Dragosmo students, though they appeared much older than when Kirby had first encountered with them. Sozo and Hakai flew out next, with the Lava Blob Magmani oozing out of the large, gaping crack. After the overweight guardian of the Fire Ruby managed to look out into the sky of Ignisu for the first time, a smile stretched across his face, seeing the dim daylight for the first time beyond the sooty clouds.

"Rechinask ti neos gathan, nini Dragosmos (Thank you so much for your help, little Dragosmos)," Magmani congratulated. "De kira nirs tha wot mia nese mi no (And here I thought you would defeat me as usual for your training exercises)."

"It had been an honor working together as a team to bring you up to the surface world, even though it only took us about a year and five months to dig you out." Sozo replied. "Nonetheless, we have managed to train ourselves into becoming one with the Fire Rainbolement. Thank you for your cooperation, Magmani."

"Thank you too, young students, for helping our friend see the sun," Hakai noted, looking at the students. "Now that we had managed to get our big friend out, you have learned that power is the key to survival once you have the Rainbolement of Fire."

"Tol nisto wi nesia to ansdi toaps heis ni (Now I can reunite with my kind and tell them of how you helped me after all this time)," Magmani finished. "Toask sifs tuia nis doai nora weico nyia sklid Ignisu Tizna weriue taoiss heiw nits mowe thsia Tiko Tuiaso tuasl thassk yosn wersl. Tisan nos weoru kaso, Dragosmos (They had been missing me and the Fire Ruby for as long as I can remember after the Great Eruption that buried our world eons ago. I owe it all to you, Dragosmos)."

"And I'm probably betting after this whole time, they've learned some of your language," Sozo responded. "Now, we must be heading off if we must head to the next planet."

"Resoap," Magmani said before heading off, moving like an average-paced snail.

"Goodbye!" the Dragosmo students answered. Sozo and Hakai then walked towards the young dragons, pulling out the tiny orb that was with them this whole time.

"Now it's time to head back to the Sky Temple Training Arena," Sozo said, pressing three times on the button on his foreleg with his foreclaw. His brother and their students all did the same, teleporting back to the stadium. Kirby saw the Training Arena just on a hill in the horizon, and he felt like he wasn't going to catch up in time. However, the vision itself seemed like all time had stopped so that the pink demon could run there and see what was going on.

After Kirby arrived at the Sky Temple Training Arena, time resumed like normal, with Sozo and Hakai arriving with the Dragosmo students.

"Alright," Sozo suggested. "Eat dinner, wash yourselves, and head to bed. We'll be traveling to our next destination." All of the young dragons were walking off, and only a few of the female students walked away giggling after kissing Galeem on his cheeks. The white-coated dragon with blue-and-orange wings then walked towards Ultima and Phoenix, glad he came here.

"Isn't this great?" Galeem asked with a slightly matured voice. "I'm making so many friends here and we've all been learning how to control our element." With a small breath, Galeem created a little fireball, balancing it on his tongue before it went out.

"Yeah, I suppose…" Phoenix sighed, being a little jealous of his own brother. Ultima placed a foreleg on her brother's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"I'll be wandering around the place if you need me," Galeem said, understanding Phoenix's loneliness. "Just meet me in our room, okay?" Once Galeem ran off and the Sky Temple Training Arena took off to the sky again, Ultima walked in front of Phoenix, looking at the neglect in his eyes.

"You said that I would be recognized in time," Phoenix sighed, looking on the ground in shame.

"Just give it a while longer," Ultima noted. "Nobody likes to wait for so long. Your chance will come eventually; someday, you might even share it with the world." Phoenix simply walked away, leaving Ultima alone at the stadium's entrance. As Kirby watched, he was rather curious to see what would happen next. While the pink puffball was walking through the walls around the arena, he saw Sozo simply standing outside on a window perch, gazing at the stars beyond the dim-blue barrier. Just then, Galeem walked up to him.

"Commander Sozo?" Galeem asked, standing on his back legs and placing his front legs on the stone fence, looking at the stars and galaxies that passed by.

"What is it, Galeem?" Sozo asked.

"Lately, I've been curious about why so many dragons are becoming interested in me," Galeem asked. "Why is that?"

"Maybe it's because of the fact that seeing you reminds them of light and hope in case something terrible might happen to them," Sozo answered.

"…Light?" Galeem asked.

"Yes," Sozo replied. "Most dragons here aren't nocturnal, and their eyes can only adjust to a little bit of light in the darkest of rooms."

"But what does that mean?" Galeem objected. "I have no idea why I'm reminded of light and hope…" Sozo then walked from the stone fence, followed by Galeem.

"Since the beginning of time, living creatures have utilized light in many ways, whether for food or shelter," Sozo explained. "It was during a time when the darkness had swallowed everything, and there were no stars to pierce through. Turns out you are no different." Galeem seemed rather curious about what one of the two teachers here was talking about and wanted to learn more.

"Tell me more," Galeem said. "How do you know about the light?"

"When you have been raised in the light all your life, then you might know," Sozo answered. "How about I hold you some private lessons so you can learn more about how to harness the light?" Galeem, unaware of the intentions, nodded.

"I suppose," Galeem answered. "I would like to hear about how the light works…" Kirby, who was watching this whole time, walked away, wondering about that conversation. After a minute or two of walking, Kirby noticed Phoenix walking into the shadows, with his tinted-pink wings illuminating a little bright enough for him to see. He headed into the cafeteria, where Hakai was simply sitting there, with his tail moving in a rather seizure-induced manner but otherwise his whole body seemed calm.

"Commander Hakai… I would like some advice…" Phoenix sighed. Hakai looked down on the Dragosmo, curious.

"Pray tell," Hakai said.

"Well, after staying here for about a year with my brother and sister, I had noticed Galeem had been becoming more social," Phoenix answered. "Meanwhile, I am just simply sitting behind-the-scenes, watching my own brother get all the glory while Ultima seemed like the only one who took care of me. Care to explain to me why I am so lonely? Why no one would choose me over Galeem?" Hakai simply sat up, placing one of his foreclaws on his chin.

"Maybe it's because these kids might be scared of you," Hakai answered.

"Scared?" Phoenix asked. "I do not really look that intimidating… do I not?" Hakai then hopped off his seat, looking at the young, black-coated dragon with magenta-colored wings detailed with flames standing right in front of him, desperate.

"You just might be lucky," Hakai replied. "When I was first training with my brother to be a Dragosmo, all of the other dragons acted like they were scared of me, and I wasn't happy…"

"Whatever do you mean?" Phoenix asked.

"Let me give you a little lesson in which dragons refer to as… darkness," Hakai responded. Phoenix felt rather interested all of a sudden.

"You see," Hakai continued, placing his forepaws together, "dragonkin are afraid of you mainly because your looks alone remind them of fear and darkness. Nonetheless, after my years of training, I had noticed that fear usually makes the world go around. It frightens intelligent creatures of what exists when the lights are off, and they learn from it, striving for new ways of survival."

"That… seems enigmatic…" Phoenix said. "I would like to hear more about it…"

"So you shall… during our private lessons later on…" Hakai said with a smile on his face. "Just a little warning: you can't always use fear to get your way…" After Kirby walked away, he entered the room Ultima was staying in. The pink puffball saw lying on one of the beds was the black-coated dragon with her eyes gleaming gold and her wings shining like a spectrum.

 _I wonder what Galeem and Phoenix are up to at this hour,_ Ultima wondered, with her thoughts loud enough for Kirby to hear.

 _Could it be something I did wrong? All of the other dragonlings are split on me, but clearly accepting Galeem over Phoenix. Could loneliness overtake popularity through envy, or the other way around…?_ As soon as the light in the oil lamp was dying out, Kirby felt himself being transported back to the world he was trapped in at the moment, finished seeing what he wanted to for now.

* * *

Kirby woke up to Piranha Plant rapidly shaking his body, trying to wake the pink puffball up. Kirby hopped onto the ground, surrounded by his friends and the Mii Swordfighter army. Dr. Mario quickly ran up to him.

"Thank-a goodness you're safe, Kirby," Dr. Mario sighed, breaking the hug.

"I managed to help rescue Wii Fit Trainer," Link remarked, holding the yoga warrior in his arms. The Wii Fit Trainer was starting to wake up, attempting to jump out of the Champion of Hyrule's arms. She managed to touch the ground after falling out, and she was rubbing her head, feeling uncomfortable about how her trip into hell was.

"Wha… What happened?" the Wii Fit Trainer asked.

"You were possessed by a Spirit and cloned, like all of us were," Fox explained. "You're okay now." The ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn and the troops he lead alone so far noticed a few Spirits floating out of the broken houses, terrified. Kirby and his friends then looked at all the Spirits floating off from the neighborhood, except for one Normal Advanced Octoling. She pulled out her Splattershot and fired a glowing-green ink path before flying off. The ink path lead to, in fact, the only way into the city next to the town: Electronica. However, the doors were tightly shut, and there was no switch for neither the rescued fighters and the recruited Mii Swordfighters. For right now, there was no way in… except for malfunctioning the power plant in the middle of the purple-foggy swamp, where the warriors split from Kirby were heading to at that time.


	43. Pt 43: The Power Plant

Walking through the violet bog, Joker was attempting to reunite with his buddies as well as bring them the unconscious, adorable puppy that was Isabelle back to them, who was snuggled in his arms. The Phantom Thief was getting his leather boots muddy due to the fact that he was in the middle of a swamp, but he was still staying on the stone road nonetheless. Just then, Joker began hearing growling from the marshes, and the harsh noise forced the Phantom Thief to keep moving on with the mayor's assistant. Eventually, he found Mario and the rest of his gang, who were just as lost as he was.

"There you were!" Mario sighed, running towards Joker and gently grabbing Isabelle's body. "We were starting to wonder where you were…" Isabelle was starting to wake up, rubbing her eyes with her stubby paws. She quickly peered at the faces that were Mario, Marth, Donkey Kong, Olimar, PAC-MAN, and Lucas, as well as Faker.

"Whe- Where am I?" she asked, terrified. After she stepped back, Isabelle quickly turned around to see the Phantom Thief standing before her.

"Easy," Joker said, trying to calm the shih-tzu assistant mayor. Isabelle then ran into Lucas' arms, whimpering thanks to the place she woke up in.

"What happened? What's going on?" Isabelle cried, trembling. She let go of Lucas so that the fighters could try to calm her down.

"It's-a okay, Isabelle," Mario said, rubbing the secretary behind her ears. "Joker's here to help us so he can put an end to this… Well… technically, it was Kirby that woke up the first few fighters, so thank the marshmallow…"

"You know about Kirby?" Isabelle asked. "Galeem wouldn't even spare the cute ones."

"…Guys?" Lucas asked, his knees buckling. The fighters stopped their conversation to understand what the PSI blond was talking about. "I think someone's watching us…" Once the swamp quieted down, there was a nearby rustling of branches and soggy leaves. Each one of the fighters began looking around to see who was spying on them. Jumping out of the shrubs was the Werewolf himself, but everyone except for Mario knew that and simply mistook him for another monster. Once the lycanthrope appeared, the group began rushing towards the creature in attack form, but the red plumber stepped in front of them, sending his friends to a grinding halt.

"Calm your-a meatballs," Mario said. "It's just the Werewolf. I know this-a guy."

"Indeed I am," the Werewolf replied. "Before you go all nuts over me, here what I have to say…" The group calmed down to understand what the monster was trying to tell them and backed away.

"Galeem is growing stronger by the minute," the Werewolf explained. "He found out you all are retaliating and plans to unleash a stronger army upon the world once his strength is at his highest peak."

"What do you think we should do?" Marth asked.

"I may not have known this place well, but here is a way to weaken his connection with the Subspace Army, the Mii Fighters, and the Primaries with their Supporters," the Werewolf answered. The creature then pointed at Faker.

"Dragon warrior," the Werewolf said. "Quick. Give me your bracelet." He noticed the watch-like device on Faker's wrist and knew what it was capable of since the Undying Light had been the talk of Gallia as mentioned before. The black-haired woman then took off the device and gave it to Mario, who handed it to the Werewolf. Pressing the button once, the lycanthrope contacted the Undying Light crew… well, Professor E. Gadd at least.

"Holy smokes! I did it!" E. Gadd spoke over the transmission. "I have stabilized connection with Kirby and the Piranha Plant and managed to break through the barrier."

"Which is just what we need," the Werewolf said with a little smile on his face.

"What the-? Who's there?" E. Gadd asked in exclamation.

"Pipe down and take notes as quickly as possible," the Werewolf said. "I think I have an idea…" The fighters were anxious to hear this new plan that the Werewolf was about to come up, and they knew it better be good.

"First, you would need to keep going down the bog and keep fighting until you come across a power plant," the Werewolf continued. "Sneak into the plant and use the Zap Fishes to navigate puzzles. There, you will come across a rather obnoxious Spirit, but he will be important in a minute. Then, defeat the captured fighter guarding the main source of the power plant. Once you find an attempt to not electrocute yourselves to death, cut out the power source. This will open all of the gateways to the town and city it barricades, giving your friends a chance to access paths they could not before. Afterwards, head down south to the secret base and defeat Galleon – the Subspace Cyborg. This will weaken the Northern Barrier protecting the Galeem Void and break open the barrier that separated you all from your friends in the first place."

"Then do we have a chance of going back to them?" Mario asked.

"You will, but you need to continue forward after clearing the base," the Werewolf said. "Afterwards, head over to the lake east of the mushroom gorge – but beware of the legendary Rayquaza. Ask for a world tour and kill off the invading armies that are spreading across the globe and retreat them back here, for the land you stand on is really a magical island located in the middle of the ocean. Keep going east until you find a green pipe. This will take you back near the bog, but head north to the mountains. Go out into the depths of space until you clear a path to the Galeem Void, and make sure you have the obnoxious Spirit. He is very important for this mission.

"Meanwhile, the other group would figure out the gates are open and go from the forest near the ruins where we first met all the way to a waterfall northeast of the Cinnamon Hills. After rescuing the Oldest Fab Fairy, they will make it to a castle above the waterfall and defeat the main villain in the castle: Giga Bowser. By this point, all three of the Fab Fairies would have reunited at the gateway to the Sky Temple and do their dance to break the spell. The rest of you all head over there and defeat the Primaries guarding special treasures. These treasures will seal off the light fissure, allowing a safe path for your friends to cross. Whatever happens, wait until the Northern Barrier breaks.

"By this point, your friends will come across a maze where they will defeat Duon: the conjoined Shadow Bug twins. After Duon's defeat, a light will guide them out where they will continue up north until they reach the Floating Islands. Once they have finished with their usual fighting matters, they will take an orange pipe and head to a beach. By this point, they would have found a Spirit to help them sail across the ocean. They will then reach an island where a powerful Rathalos will be waiting for them. Afterwards, the forcefield protecting the Galeem Void will be broken, and a hopefully-improved Undying Light ship will come and rescue them, dropping them off next to their friends and allowing you all to take revenge against the Seraph of Order and bring peace to our world."

"Wow," E. Gadd sighed. "That was a big mouthful you just said there, but I managed to write the whole thing down and now I hope that this plan works…"

"You are welcome," the Werewolf answered. The lycanthrope then pressed the button to end the communication and tossed it back to Faker, who managed to catch it in time.

"That is all I have to afford to help you on your mission," the Werewolf said. "We might meet again in time…"

"Thank you so much for everything," Joker said before the Werewolf ran off, never to be seen evermore. Eventually, the group continued on, this time with a plan that has a high chance of success. Only when they were all walking for a minute did they hear another growling sound, this time from behind them.

"Was that the Werewolf again?" Joker asked, slowly turning around once the bushes rustled.

"I don't think that's the Werewolf…" Mario answered. The group slowly turned around to come across Duck Hunt, with the duck perched on the dog's back. An image flashed on the Duck Hunt team, revealing it to be the legendary Pokémon Zygarde in his 50% Form. Grabbing Isabelle, the Duck Hunt Primary magically trapped all the fighters in golden cages except for Faker. The brown-skinned warrior quickly pulled out her dragon-tooth sword and rushed as fast as she could towards the captured fighter and attempted to save Isabelle. However, it was too late as both the Duck Hunt Primary and the anthropomorphic puppy vanished, leaving Faker alone to deal with both approaching ReDeads and Puppits, as well as free her friends in time so she wouldn't have to fight on her own.

* * *

Isabelle, who quickly hopped up, saw she was standing on pixelated ground, with 8-bit ducks flying off from a grassy field. Standing before her was the Duck Hunt Primary, who was quickly changing form into Zygarde into his Complete Form, with hexagon-patterned tentacles dotted with red, blue, and green replacing the legs of the dog and the wings of the duck. The captured fighter then sent out a sombrero-wearing Wild Gunman, who quickly fired at Isabelle. Panicking, Isabelle quickly pocketed the bullet the moment it was close to her face. Once the Duck Hunt Primary rushed forward towards the assistant mayor, Isabelle flung out the bullet that was fired at her, flinging it at the captured fighter team. Gaining enough confidence, Isabelle flung her fishing rod at the Duck Hunt Primary, who pulled out an explosive can and an invisible Zapper was shooting it towards her. As soon as the hook snagged onto the can, Isabelle flung it back at the Duck Hunt Primary and launched him off, building enough damage for her to use close combat.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the swamp, the ReDeads began shouting thrilling screams that stunned anyone in close contact on the ground, and the Puppits slashed with their powerful claws, but Faker somehow managed to dodge both of these actions as she tried breaking open the golden cages with rocks she generated with her newfound powers.

"Come on," Joker snarled, firing his pistol at the creatures while attempting to saw open his golden prison with his knife. "Get us out of here…"

"I'm… trying!" Faker answered, trying to make a dent on Joker's cage. Combining both fire and earth, she managed to heat up molten lava. A few drops splashed on the bars, melting a tiny hole through them.

"Stand back, Joker," Faker warned. The Phantom Thief backed away as far as he could in the tiny space that was available for him, and the amnesia-infected warrior grabbed onto the golden bars, melting a way out. Once Faker went back to fighting with the ReDeads and the Puppits, the melting metal quickly cooled down, allowing Joker to squeeze through. The Phantom Thief jumped inbetween a Puppit attempting to skin Faker from behind and sliced the monster's claws off with his knife. After stabbing the Puppit in the head, Faker quickly turned around to see Joker shooting at the incoming ReDeads.

"I got this," Joker said as he dashed towards the creatures. "Free the rest of our friends!" Faker nodded and ran as fast as she could to the levitating cages, using the lava trick from before to melt the bars.

* * *

While Isabelle was gaining more confidence in her attack power, the Duck Hunt Primary tried shifting its body into a metal coat and spamming with explosives. However, that did not seem to work as Isabelle simply pocketed and threw them back, or jumped into the air and slammed downward with three turnips bundled together. She managed to hit before the Duck Hunt Primary could react, and she began firing her slingshot right in front of her once the captured fighter was thrown towards her. As soon as the captured fighter was offstage, Isabelle pulled out turnips again, slamming downward and meteor-smashing, winning the battle against the Duck Hunt Primary.

* * *

As the number of monsters was drastically decreasing thanks to the number of fighters freed, Faker managed to save Lucas, who just so happened to be the last one trapped. The dragon-clothed warrior then pulled out the PSI blonde and saw that the ReDeads and Puppits retreated.

"Looks like those creatures were of no match for out teamwork," Joker said with a smile on his face. The group congratulated each other, glad they managed to escape danger again as before.

"You know… you kinda remind me of my friends…" Joker sighed. "Brave, loyal, compassionate…" Olimar walked up to the Phantom Thief, patting Joker on the knee. Just then, a vortex appeared in the center of the group, and Isabelle with Duck Hunt's unconscious bodies hopped out. She placed the dog and the duck on the stone-hard road, standing victorious. Both the white mist and the Master Legendary Zygarde Spirit floated out of the swamp.

"I have slaughtered the beast!" Isabelle cheered, rubbing her skirt and placing her stubby paws on her hips. Mario rubbed the duck member of the Duck Hunt team, a little curious as how the weakened duck was awake but not the dog. Isabelle then pushed between Mario and Duck Hunt. She lightly tapped the Duck Hunt dog with her squeaky hammer, and a few hits were enough to wake up the dog.

The Duck Hunt team tried making sense of where they are at this point, completely unaware of what happened to them after their bodies were captured, cloned, and possessed. Donkey Kong began poking at Duck Hunt to see if they were fine, and he was responded with a snarl from the dog.

"Easy, easy," Marth said, rubbing the Duck Hunt dog's coat. "We've got a mission to complete and we could really use your help." The Duck Hunt duo quickly sat up, ready to risk their lives for a one-chance mission.

"The first step is to keep wandering the swamp until we reach the power plant," Mario said.

"…Speaking of which, I think we're already there," Lucas answered, pointing east. The group looked to the location they were going to: the power plant. There was already a barbed wire on top and bottom of the metal fence when the team arrived, complete with deadly voltage traveling from the posts themselves.

"Who could have guessed we'd be stopped by a fence?" Joker asked. The Phantom Thief ran as fast as he could and jumped over, without any of the wires scratching his leather jacket. Joker then waved his hand, signaling Mario and the gang to follow in after him. Each one of the fighters managed to get over the barbed wire in time, with Faker following in after them.

"Stay, Faker," Marth warned the brown-skinned warrior. "This is personal business. You be on the lookout while we sneak in." Faker nodded, watching the fighters run off to the base. Joker was the first one to lead them, and he was looking around the building for a way in. Eventually, the Phantom Thief pushed aside a manhole cover on the ground, jumping in. With a quiet whistle, Joker signaled the rest of his friends to go in one at a time, with Mario hopping down. The red plumber then created a fireball to light a way through. Afterwards, Marth, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, and Lucas jumped in by that listed order. The disgusting smell in the sewage walls was enough to make anyone pass out, but they would not let a little putrid garbage scent get in the way of their mission as they walked forward.

Later, Mario and Joker came across a ladder that led upward. The Phantom Thief climbed up and pushed the manhole cover to the side, peaking his head and looking around inside the power plant. There were Octarians piloting seats with ink-filled assault rifles, guarding what appeared to be Zap Fishes found in different locations. There were gaps too wide to simply jump over between the steel bridges that all connected to the main power source, which was constantly churning out electricity.

"Follow me," Joker whispered, climbing up a nearby ladder up to the first steel platform. The group then followed in after the Phantom Thief, climbing up behind futuristic boxes. Hiding, Joker peeked out to see an Octarian clearly keeping its eyes on a Zap Fish, not paying attention to what was behind it. This allowed a chance for Joker to quickly sneak up behind the Octarian and catch it by surprise, grabbing its body and slashing with his dagger on the creature's neck. After the Octarian's body dropped dead, turquoise ink leaking out from its wound, Joker stole the Zap Fish from its location, placing it on an empty pedestal. The Phantom Thief waved forward as soon as the steel bridge appeared, alerting the group to follow in after him.

Hiding behind another pile of boxes, Joker signaled Lucas to take care of the two Octarians guarding another Zap Fish. The PSI boy then let his Rope Snake slither out of his shirt, undetected by the Octarians until the serpent attacked. First, the Rope Snake caught one Octarian in a coil and choked it to death. After the second Octarian detected the serpent, the creature tried firing but the Rope Snake quickly slithered behind him and bit with his venomous teeth, instantly killing the Octarian. The Rope Snake then grabbed the Zap Fish and glided back to Lucas, who quickly walked out and placed it on another empty pedestal, spawning another bridge to walk across. The group then continued sneaking through the power plant, taking out Octarians and using the Zap Fishes to complete puzzles to the main power source, trying to go by unnoticed. Just then, after the group of fighters hid behind another pile of boxes, Joker suddenly noticed someone standing out from the Octarian troops. From what the Phantom Thief saw, it was a green-colored Greninja Supporter, standing behind a group of Octarians that were attempting to defend the power source. Joker then pointed to Olimar and told him in sign language to bring forth his little Pikmin army and abduct the Greninja Supporter while still trying to be undetected by the Octarians. The Hocotate captain nodded and began plucking out as many Pikmin as he could, quietly. The Pikmin began crawling below the Octarians' feet underneath the steel bridge, jumping out onto the Greninja Supporter. The puppet fighter tried calling for help, but the Pikmin were fast and clever, so they clasped the Greninja Supporter's mouth shut and held his limbs together without making any noise. The Pikmin then dragged the Greninja Supporter underneath the bridge, and they were all undetected by the Octarian troops.

Once the Pikmin headed back to Olimar, Joker quickly grabbed ahold of the Greninja Supporter. Before the puppet fighter used his magic to create a stage surrounded by a barrier out of nowhere, the Phantom Thief cut his throat before the Greninja Supporter could get the chance. Once the Supporter's corpse disintegrated into Shadow Bugs that retreated, a glowing-green Slippy Toad appeared in the group of fighters, with the Advanced Spirit surprised.

"Thank you so much for saving me, guys!" Slippy Toad cheered. "I don't know what I would do without you!" Joker quickly grabbed ahold of the Advanced Spirit, trying to shut the obnoxious pilot from Corneria up before they were detected by the Octarians.

"Listen here, you little bitch," Joker whispered. "Don't make this as difficult as it needs to be. Now… listen carefully. Head north to the mountains where there will be this little space area. Wait for us until we get there."

"How come?" Slippy asked.

"Because we were given strict instructions to do so," Joker answered. "Fly out of this plant as fast as you can, and don't go noticed."

"I will," Slippy quietly responded. "Once again, I bid you thanks for rescuing me." The annoying Spirit then flew out as fast as he could out of the plant, leaving the fighters alone.

"That was-a close," Mario whispered.

"Hopefully the Octarians didn't notice us," Joker murmured with a slight expression of guilt on his face. "…They noticed us, didn't they?" Thanks to Slippy's congratulations, the Octarians had found where the Smashers were hiding and had now surrounded them, ready to fire with ink-loaded assault rifles.

"…Yep," Joker sighed, knowing their cover was blown. The Phantom Thief then jumped on top of Donkey Kong, patting him on the back to move right now. The gorilla grabbed the remaining fighters and jumped up, avoiding the ink splatters from the Octarian assault rifles. Donkey Kong then landed with a powerful slam, knocking out most of the Octarians with brutal force. Mario, Olimar, Marth, Lucas, Isabelle, and Duck Hunt all jumped off to take care of the Octarians while Joker dashed towards the main power source. As soon as the Phantom Thief was closing in on his target, a tiny force twice as big as his head slammed right into him with electrical damage. Joker quickly got back on his feet to see an adorable Pichu Primary, surrounded by a white aura. The captured fighter looked at the Phantom Thief with angry red eyes and lunged himself towards the survivor of Galeem's attack. Joker managed to grab ahold of the Pichu Primary, with just enough time to see an image of the Master Legendary possessing Pichu: the Great Zap Fish. With as much force as he could, Joker threw the Pichu Primary at the main power source. The sheer voltage shocked the possessed Pokémon, with the Phantom Thief hoping for it to die of electrocution. What he didn't know was that the electrical damage done to Pichu only made it stronger, and it had fully charged the Pichu Primary. Sitting up with a sooty body, the captured fighter charged up his Skull Basher move, heading straight towards Joker with no fear of holding back.

"PERSONA!" Joker shouted, pulling off his mask and unleashing Arsene. With a powerful clap, Arsene managed to successfully hit the Pichu Primary back into the power plant, where the poor creature was electrocuted to death this time, separating the Spirit from its body without the need of another roulette with the Spirit Sniper. Once Pichu's body dropped to the ground, Joker quickly picked up the Pokémon's fragile body, watching the power plant itself start to cave in thanks to the recoil damage inside the power source. Mario, Marth, Donkey Kong, Olimar, Lucas, Isabelle, and Duck Hunt were also backing up near the power source, fighting against the incoming Octarians.

"We can't hold them back!" Mario shouted. "There's too many of-a them!"

"And we'll die if we don't get out of here right now!" Joker exclaimed. The Phantom Thief hopped onto Donkey Kong's back again with Pichu's body in his arms, and the gorilla grabbed the other fighters and barged out of the power plant, leaving a massive explosion behind them that had supposedly killed all of the Octarians. Donkey Kong with the fighters then jumped over the barbed wire fence, meeting up with Faker. The brown-skinned warrior, alarmed by the destruction of the power plant, ran towards her friends to see if they were all right.

"We're okay," Marth answered without Faker asked. Pichu was slowly starting to wake up, wounded by the electrical damage done to his body but still alive.

"Well, we got what we came for so let's head to that secret base from before," Joker replied. "Hopefully all that risk was worth something for the rest of our friends…"


	44. Pt 44: Two Visions

One hour passed, and Kirby's army was still waiting for the city gates to open. The Mii Swordfighter army spread out across the town, rescuing whatever Spirits they could find from Supporters and monsters, while the Middle Fab Fairy accompanied Kirby, Piranha Plant, Captain Falcon, Sheik, Villager, Mii Swordfighter, Link, Fox, Dr. Mario, and Wii Fit Trainer as they waited for a way through. Suddenly, a couple of Mii Swordfighters came back with the Spirits Buliara and Booker.

"Your ex-Highness," one Mii Swordfighter spoke to the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn. "We had found these Spirits intruding the border of Morrowsville, claiming they were simply guarding until we arrived…" The two Spirits then passed through the Mii Fighters' arms like ghosts, approaching the fighters.

"What do you think you baboon-brains are doing here?!" Buliara asked, pointing her spear at the current group. "Those walls were designed to keep intruders like you out!"

"My fair vai, please," Link answered. "This world is already in so much danger that walls alone won't keep Galeem's armies out. And besides, you're already trapped here as it is, and we're doing our job to help everyone. The least you could do is accompany us…"

"We haven't even found our friend yet!" Booker growled. "Wish you a last goodbye once those monsters start tearing up everything." Both Booker and Buliara vanished, floating off. The moment the Mii Fighters walked off, Kirby and his friends felt the ground rumbling. The gate itself was starting to open thanks to the power source cut out from the city, and this startled the group as they quickly ran near the gaping doors. The Piranha Plant was the first one to stand up front, and he was ready to face some challenges in the city no matter how tough they were due to the fact that his tongue was flapping out of his mouth like a dog's. However, as soon as the doors opened to a reasonable width, the poor flower felt his spotted face punched by a green boxing glove. Piranha Plant was launched through the Middle Fab Fairy and hit Kirby, creating a powerful collision between the pink puffball and the carnivorous flower. Captain Falcon ran over to the two fighters, helping them up while everyone saw who was waiting at the door for them. It was, in fact, Little Mac, red eyes and rainbow aura with everything else, complete with the Master Legendary Spirit Balrog from Ryu's and Ken's world to go with him.

"Everyone stay back," Fox McCloud warned his friends, pointing his pistol at the captured fighter. "I'll take care of this-" However, before he finished, Piranha Plant quickly ran up to the Little Mac Primary, preparing to spit out poison. The carnivorous flower then quickly bit the captured fighter's chest, triggering another vortex to spawn around the Primary. Without a need for the golden cages, all Kirby and his friends could do is wait and hope the flower makes it out alive.

* * *

The Piranha Plant wriggled out of his flower pot, hearing a crowd cheer around him. The flower then saw he was in a dark environment, with a roof of bright lights over his head and a large screen in the background, ready to broadcast a fight. Hearing a dull whoosh, Piranha Plant quickly ducked into his pot to see the Primary's fist right above him. The Piranha Plant then lunged out of his pot, biting harshly at the Little Mac Primary. The captured fighter landed right in the center of the ring, charging up a powerful punch. Piranha Plant began spitting out a poison cloud, drastically building up damage as the cloud lingered. Due to the fact that the Little Mac Primary could not flinch from attacks thanks to his nearly-charged move, the captured fighter shot straight out with a flaming fist, but the carnivorous flower managed to shield in time. Thanks to all the buildup damage, Piranha Plant managed to grab ahold of Little Mac and continuously bite, finishing off with an upward throw. As soon as the Little Mac Primary was knocked out, the only sound that remained on the disappearing stage was the generic crowd cheering Piranha Plant's name.

* * *

While Link, Mii Swordfighter, and a few others were waiting for Piranha Plant to make a return, Kirby fell asleep on the concrete road, feeling rather impatient. Just then, a vortex appeared in front of the opened gate doors, and Piranha Plant appeared with something big in his mouth that his face stretched twice as big. Once the carnivorous flower spat out who appeared to be Little Mac turned back to normal, the small boxer quickly woke up covered in cold saliva.

"You know this doesn't wash off easily, right?" Little Mac asked, watching Piranha Plant smirk while covering his face with his leaves. The white mist and Balrog Spirit that were inside Little Mac's body floated out of the vortex. Everyone watched as they entered inside Kirby as usual, but instead of waking up the pink puffball instantly it simply let him sleep, as if the visions were transferring Kirby to a dream…

* * *

The Sky Temple Training Arena was dark when Kirby woke up. The first thing he heard were fighting sounds coming from the central stage in the middle of the stadium. The pink puffball then ran towards where the sound was coming from, and there he saw Ultima training with Sozo and Hakai in the middle of the night. He watched from a distance and admired how the black-coated dragon with rainbow wings was kicking in midair with flames on her claws, listening to the commands that the two generals of the Dragosmo Army were giving her. Sozo and Hakai then took off into the air, striking with friendly combat blows of their own.

"Strike! Kick! Unleash a ball of fire!" Sozo said as he blocked the blows from Ultima's perfect moves with his tail.

"Get a little more on the wild side!" Hakai taught, dodging the thrusts from Ultima's tail. "That's how you do it! Now… unleash your most powerful attack to the greatest potential!" With a deep breath, Ultima began spinning in the air, creating a flaming tornado in the middle of the stadium and knocking both Sozo and Hakai back. Once Ultima finished, she began feeling rather dizzy after spinning so quickly. As she slowly descended, Sozo lunged in towards her and pinned the young dragon to the ground. Once Ultima was lying on her side, the golden-eyed commander placed his front paw on her neck.

"Never let your guard down," Sozo explained, giving Ultima some space. "Battles are always meant to be unfair, so your opponent will strike you down, even if you ignore your fight for a split second. The lesson is: always keep your eyes open. However, you did very well in these private lessons. We're both proud of you, Ultima." The young Dragosmo student then sat up, shaking off the dust from her own scales.

"It's too bad Galeem and Phoenix couldn't join me while I had my own private lessons," Ultima sighed, looking back at the topmost room where she and her brothers were sleeping at.

"They both probably had their own reasons," Sozo said. "One is growing curious about popularity, and the other feels rejected. It is your responsibility to make sure they have made the right decisions in order to get through life, for reality is never fair."

"Yeah," Hakai noted. "One day, you're going to have to let go of the past and put away your toys. That's the way the bread crumbles. Hopefully your brothers might take notice of that too."

"What I don't understand is… why me and my brothers?" Ultima objected. "I clearly don't hear any of the other dragons having their own lessons." Sozo was just about to answer, but suddenly looked up at the sky, noticing a rusty-red planet surrounded by icy rings.

"We're here at our destination," Sozo said. "You may have to place your question aside and wait until later." While the Sky Temple Training Arena was slowly approaching the planet, the other hundreds of Dragosmo students headed to the center, staring in awe at the peculiar planet in the starry sky.

"For our next year in training, we will be living here on Chikuo, home of the Earth Rainbolement," Hakai explained. "Here, the Crystal Sharkanoids will be helping us achieve our goal right now." As soon as the Sky Temple Training Arena landed on the rocky surface, all of the young dragons left towards the entrance except for Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima.

"Where were you?" Phoenix asked Ultima.

"I was busy training with Sozo and Hakai throughout the night," Ultima answered. "I noticed you two came home one at a time after being exhausted, so I thought I could give these private lessons a try."

"We understand… but why do you wanna do that?" Galeem asked.

"I suppose I want to train to be the best of the best, like you boys are doing," Ultima answered. "…We better get going if we want to catch up with our teachers."

"Agreed," Phoenix renowned, flying off to the entrance while leaving a neon-pink trail behind his wings. Galeem took off behind the black-coated dragon with a blue-and-orange swirl twisting into golden sparkling behindhand, and Ultima followed in midair with a spectrum trail. As Kirby watched, he wanted to see what happens next once the dragons set foot outside of the Sky Temple Training Arena and onto Chikuo and followed after them.

Once the doors opened, Hakai and Sozo stepped outside with the Dragosmo students following in after them, setting foot on an orange, barren surface. The sky itself was a rusty red, only showing the depths of space since there was no atmosphere to protect the planet's bare, smooth surface from its star's radiation. Thankfully, the dragons of Arcus were somehow adapted to such harsh conditions on a barren planet, allowing them to walk without multiple symptoms.

"Follow us, pupils," Sozo said, walking with Hakai across the stone surface. "There is a hidden entrance in this exact location, allowing living species to thrive underground." The golden-eyed leader then stopped at a certain location, tapping and scraping the ground with his paw. Hakai joined in too, combing the rocky-hard surface for some sort of entrance. Just then, the violet-eyed general began tapping a metallic material instead of stone.

"Found something!" Hakai called out to his brother. The violet-eyed general then flapped with his wings, blowing away the dusty surface to reveal a way through. The dragons students then gasped in awe as they saw a colossal, futuristic door covered in rust and meteorite markings right below their feet.

Sozo then pressed his front dragon claws close to the ground, generating some sort of energy inbetween them. Matter began forming right out of nowhere, creating a rock just the size of the general's head. Sozo then picked up the stone with his mouth and walked right above where the two shut doors closed tight near each other. A strange rumbling suddenly occurred, and the doors started opening. Knowing what happens next, the dragons began flying into the air to watch the stone drop into a vast, empty abyss pitch-black to the naked eye. An elevator then started rolling up, revealing to be a hovering circle with the stone from before in the dab center of it. Once the dragons got onto the elevator, Kirby still in his Smash Ball possession ran onto the platform before an orange barrier closed over it. After the platform lowered deep underground, the doors slid shut, and the platform illuminated an orange light. The dragons that were kept inside were descending farther into Chikuo's crust, protected by the crushing pressure surrounding them.

"So… what is this Earth Rainbolement we're going to be learning about, General Sozo?" Galeem asked, looking at the diamonds embedded in the stone-hard ground.

"The Rainbolement of Earth serves as defensive and tough, basically impenetrable barriers," Sozo answered. "Just as the fire gives us power, we also need to learn about wisdom. The Earth can become as old as time itself, and with it the knowledge of better understanding. Once we head down to the planet's core, you will be having a stay at the Crystal Sharkanoids' best dojo and learn how to control that particular Rainbolement through the Earth Citrine." The protected platform then dropped through the lava-flowing mantle, quickly dropping down to the core. After the platform with the Dragosmos landed, the magma dripped away on the barrier's surface to reveal a utopian empire hidden deep underground, coexisting with crystalized nature. There were futuristic buildings hanging both up and down, and some were even connecting like the stone pillars. Flying pods were zipping around, and there were a few Crystal Sharkanoids approaching the dragons. Each Crystal Sharkanoid had the heads of different breeds of sharks, but they stood with a posture identical to humans, and they had powerful fins on their arms, legs and tail to help dig through any rough surface and "swim" through it.

"Welcome to the Core Zone," the lead Crystal Sharkanoid decorated with golden jewels introduced. "My name is Blacktip, current ruler of Chikuo."

"You can speak the common language?" one Dragosmo student asked.

"Of course," Blacktip answered. "We had plenty of visitors far and wide and have learned how to speak many different languages, including the one you speak. So… I take it you're hear to earn powers through the Earth Citrine, haven't you?" Blacktip toyed around with the golden necklace that held a glowing-orange gemstone in front of his neck.

"Pretty much," Hakai responded.

"Truthfully, I wouldn't mind if you stay, but recently I have been forced to take care of several problems, most of them involving something to do with the planet's core…" Blacktip sighed.

"Whatever do you mean?" Phoenix asked in the group of Dragosmo students.

"You see…" Blacktip went on, "we Crystal Sharkanoids have become full-bred miners, and we have adapted to living underground. At this depth, you're bound to find something valuable to sell in the space black market. However, all of the rare sources we have harvested are nonrenewable and are slowly draining our planet to waste for nothing but paper and more metal currency. What I meant to say is that we have been getting rather greedy, and few of us are becoming more fearful of the entire planet collapsing in on us and burying our entire civilization. However, thanks to riots and budget problems, I'm the only one left who still believes our nation is doomed if we don't do something."

"Why don't you lead your people up to the surface?" Ultima asked. "It would save your kind and you wouldn't have to worry about being buried alive…"

"I would like to help lead my people to the surface, but…" Blacktip said. "The main issue I'm having is… we only used the robots we have created to sell the minerals we have mined for food, and none of our kind has ever been to the surface due to a very thin atmosphere. Besides, we have quickly adapted to living under such intense pressures." Sozo sat up and tapped the rim of his mouth with his front claw, thinking about a solution to the Sharkanoids' problems. Suddenly, the earth started rumbling above the dragons, and a large stone pillar was about to fall right on top of the Dragosmo students, ready to crush on impact. As the young dragons screamed in fright, Sozo and Hakai quickly flew up, creating matter out of the thin air and forming molten hot lava to weld the pillar to the ceiling as quickly as possible. Freezing the magma with their icy breath, the two generals had managed to stop the pillar from falling on their students.

"See what I mean?!" Blacktip asked. Hakai and Sozo landed onto the ground, relieved that their students were okay.

"You say you adapt quickly to your surroundings, right?" Sozo asked. "How about you give us the Rainbolement of Earth while you take your empire and living creatures and bring them to the surface?"

"Are you sure you want us to do that?" Blacktip asked. "It would take about a year and several months to get everything checked, and I don't think even the surface would support all our weight."

"Which is why you must give our students these abilities to harness the earth," Sozo explained.

"But where would we get the resources to provide for our species?" Blacktip asked.

"You have your technology," Sozo finished. "I'm sure you can create something out of the minerals you have harvested over the centuries."

"Thank you ever so much," Blacktip sighed with relief. The Crystal Sharkanoid then rubbed the Earth Citrine on his neck, giving it a radiant glow. Mists then flew into the young students, giving them new abilities.

"You now have access to the Earth Rainbolement," Blacktip said. "Now you best hurry, young Dragosmos. The Core Zone will fall apart one day, so I hope you would get going…" Both the ruler of the Crystal Sharkanoid and his guards then headed back towards the futuristic towers, leaving Sozo, Hakai, Ultima, Galeem, Phoenix, and the hundreds of Dragosmos-in-training to rebuild the planet's core.

"Okay, class," Sozo explained. "You know the drill: we help those in need, we also learn how to harness our powers at the same time." Once the students took off into the air, Sozo and Hakai followed behind them, ready to teach them. While Kirby was still spectating the event that was currently unfolding right in front of him, the environment blinded around him, which means that it's over for now.

* * *

Kirby woke up back at the gate near Morrowsville, feeling the Piranha Plant nuzzle him before licking his cuddly-pink body to wake him up. The pink alien hopped up, rubbing the carnivorous flower on the head.

"Finally," Sheik said. "You're awake. While you were busy sleeping, the rest of our friends traveled around this city that is known as Electronica. We had also managed to clear most o the city from the Supporters, and we've been doing less and less of that spinning-barrier roulette…"

"Last one!" Link called out from the city, holding a Peach Supporter dressed in red by the neck. "All I had to use was a Staff item and boosted shooting items, then afterward kill off the main puppet from a distance before time ran out. And BOY, was she hard." After slashing his Master Sword once to kill the Peach Supporter, a Normal Legendary Pauline Spirit from Mario's world floated out of the now-Shadow Bug clump. Once the mayor of New Donk City went inside Kirby's body, the Mii Swordfighter looked at his group with a little bit of suspicion.

"Do you guys get the feeling we're missing someone?" the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn asked. The group of fighters became rather curious as to who could still be missing.

"I know we've heard back from the Mii Fighter troops we gathered so far, but I noticed our group is still empty," Little Mac noted.

"There's still a lot of us still under Galeem's control," Fox explained. "Who else could we be missing?" All of a sudden, the Star Fox leader heard some sort of soundwave approaching towards them. Visible orange soundwaves then appeared in a straight line, giving Fox plenty of time to recognize what was going to happen.

"Everybody get out of the way!" Fox yelled, with him and his friends quickly backing away from the soundwaves. A large blast of ink then began shooting out in a beam, and the group quickly saw that it was none other than their friend Clementine – the Inkling – using her Killer Wail. Once the powerful weapon vanished, Inkling quickly pulled out her Splattershot, triggering Kirby and his friends with the usual glowing-red eyes and white aura.

"Stay back, everyone!" Fox exclaimed, pointing his blaster at who appeared to be DJ Octavio inside the Inkling's body. Kirby, however, pushed Fox aside and attempted to fight the orange squid girl on his own.

"Why won't anyone let me have a chance?" Fox sighed, facepalming himself.

As the Inkling Primary began firing her Splattershot at Kirby, the pink alien ran up to the captured fighter and pulled out his hammer, ready to set it on flames and swing it hard before another vortex appeared between the two opponents.

* * *

The Shadow Bugs in the vortex's area started gleaming a bright golden, and the stage that was formed appeared as a modern utopian battlefield, with multicolored ink splattered on the sides and skyscrapers with untranslatable language that only cephalopods can read. The Inkling Primary landed first, with octopus tentacles now squirming in place of her fingers and hair-like appendages as she glared with red eyes at the pink demon that was standing before her.

The captured fighter chirped in an Octoling language from DJ Octavio's voice, firing away with her Splattershot. The orange ink began splattering all over the stage, and Kirby floated to and fro, avoiding the ink splatters. Once he was at a reasonable distance, Kirby inhaled the Inkling Primary before she could throw a Splat Bomb. The Inkling's true Fighter Spirit took over Kirby's mind as he gained the Copy Ability from the captured fighter. The orange, squid-like hair appeared on Kirby's head, and his eyes gleamed the Smash Ball logo once more.

Once the Inkling Primary was spat out of Kirby's body, she jumped into a large flying robot with a stereo attached to the main control seat. Scratching the two record discs, the captured fighter unleashed two rocket-powered fists coated with metal and decorated with bling knuckles. The Inkling Primary then began mixing the sickest beats she could come up with, and she started attacking Kirby. The Inkling Fighter Spirit controlled Kirby's body and began firing with her Splattershot, shooting at the captured fighter and avoiding the fast-speeding fists. Once the two fists slammed with punches so powerful that they were buried in the ground upon impact, Kirby with the Inkling Copy ability jumped on top of the two rocket arms. After the Inkling Primary noticed she was low on ink, Kirby began slapping her repeatedly with an Ink Brush. Once the two rocket-powered fists emerged from the ground, they auto-targeted the pink puffball and were closing in on him. Before the captured fighter could grab Kirby, the pink puffball with the orange, squid-like hair shot out into the air with Super Jump. As soon as the rocket-powered fists closed in on the Inkling Primary, there was nothing DJ Octavio inside the squid kid could do to avoid his own attack as the stereo-bot exploded on impact, nabbing a victory for Kirby and Clementine's Fighter Spirit.

Kirby, dazed and confused, tapped on his own forehead to feel the Smash Ball stuck to him once more. Apparently, he could not catch a single break as a large clump of rocks fell on top of him. However, because of the fact he was like a ghost in these visions, Kirby walked out shaking, although possibly traumatized. He saw he was back at the Core Zone, but almost all of the Crystal Sharkanoids' technological cities were absent, and all that was remaining was an empty space ready to cave in. Just surrounding the pile of rocks that fell on top of Kirby were a swarm of dragons, each one appearing to have increased in size. He had also noticed Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix in there as well, ready to help clean up.

"Now do it again, like you have practiced all these months," Sozo called out from a reasonable distance. The flying Dragosmo students began dancing in the air, and they waved their front legs in some sort of dance pattern to rebuild the rocks into their shape. After the pillar was reformed, half of the small group of Dragosmo students tried holding the pieces in place while the other half, including Ultima and her brothers, combined the Earth Rainbolement with the Fire one to use the lava trick that Sozo and Hakai had shown before and welded the two pieces together. Their flapping wings were used to cool down the magma, and the small group took off before they recognized something off… well, Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima anyway…

"General Sozo?" Ultima asked, she and her brothers flying towards the golden-eyed general.

"What is it?" Sozo sighed.

"Don't you feel like there's no point in trying to rebuild the Core Zone?" Ultima asked. "I mean… whatever we build, the laws of this planet would come around and destroy these things, forcing us to build again…" Just as Ultima finished, the pillar that she and her brothers had just helped fix crumbled again, causing another earthquake to occur.

"Besides," Galeem noted, "the Sharkanoids had been waiting for a rather long time to land on Chikuo's surface, and they had been cramped in these spaceships."

"Perhaps once the landscape changes, the soil will overturn, their native plants will be well-fertilized, and this might be the chance to give their home planet a perfect atmosphere," Phoenix replied. "Let us have nature do its usual business, just like your brother, General Hakai, said."

Sozo then quickly made up his decision, and he pressed the button on the watch-like device on his wrist to teleport him back to the Sky Temple Training Arena. Hakai saw what his brother was doing and quickly did the same. Afterwards, Sozo's voice was broadcasted on the Dragosmo students' devices.

"Alright," Sozo explained. "Stop what you're doing and get out of here. There's no point in trying to fix something that always breaks. Now move it!" As the Core Zone kept rumbling, every single one of the young dragons warped back to the stadium, and the last few pillars supporting the higher ground broke. The dense rocks and magma thousands of miles thick fell on top of what the great civilization of the Core Zone called their home, and Kirby was about to be caught in it all. Before anything landed on him, the whole environment went dark, and the rumbling stopped.

As soon as Kirby opened his eyes, he had noticed a rocky, jagged landscape that had really shaped the face of the planet Chikuo. The atmosphere above him was becoming a little bit denser thanks to the microscopic plants growing in the rich soil, tasting the thin air for the first time and giving it new life. As if he wasn't doing anything, Kirby felt himself instantly transported to the entrance of the Sky Temple Training Arena, where he and the young dragons were looking outside to gaze upon the planet's surface.

There were widened craters, canyons, dust clouds, and mountains making up the planet's face rather than just a big, plain desert completely void and bland. Few of the Crystal Sharkanoid ships began landing on the surface, realizing everything is calmed down now and they can see the outside world for the first time.

"Thank you for everything, kids," Blacktip spoke over a special transmitted message. "Because of you fellas trying hard, we can finally see our own sun for the first time in thousands… millions of years. We can use the soil that has been upturned for more fertile lands and exchange what minerals we've salvaged for water to fill our rivers. See you all when we get the chance!"

"You're welcome," the Dragosmo students cheered. Sozo and Hakai then walked in, recognizing how tired most of the students were after a year and several months of both training and repairing rocks.

"Okay," Sozo sighed. "Because I've realized how exhausted you all might be, I'll be extending the time to our next destination. So just take a break and we will arrive at our next planet in a few days." The dragons then began walking off, heading back to their rooms.

Once Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima headed back to their main room, the former was just about to join his brother and sister before he felt a little tap on his front leg. Galeem turned around to see another female dragon, different from all of the other friends he made before and was not noticed by him until now. She had a golden snowflake texture on her scales, and her wings glistened like silver diamonds.

"Do I notice you from somewhere?" Galeem asked, a little curious about this new dragon in front of him. The dragon only giggled in response.

"Well, one of my friends must've told you all about me," the dragon answered with a smile.

"Oh… now I remember," Galeem noted. "You're Medley, the dragon that spends a little bit of time with her sister…"

"Now you know," Medley noted, brushing her wing against Galeem's back spikes. "And there are also a lot of secrets you can learn from me. I like a person who is reminded of hope…"

"Alright…" Galeem sighed. "Just a little clarification, I don't want to be too proud of my powers. Who knows what might happen?" The white-coated dragon then walked off with his new friend, and both Ultima and Phoenix were watching it all. Phoenix, feeling rather heartbroken, slumped down on the bed.

"You said I would be taken one day," Phoenix wept. "Where is that day, sister?" Ultima placed her front paw on her brother's back, understanding how he feels.

"I don't have any real friends either," Ultima confessed. Eventually, she noticed that Phoenix would like at least one other person in his life besides Galeem and herself, and even then... Galeem was starting to become a little too popular. Perhaps he could lend his own siblings a friend once in a while. Suddenly, a bright idea hit Ultima, and she quickly flew out of their room, leaving the door open. After a few minutes, the black-coated dragon with spectrum wings appeared with another female dragon almost her size.

"Medley had been talking about having a sister who dreamed of being recognized by someone, and I think you might be happy about that…" Ultima said. Phoenix sat up on the bed to see a dragon about his age coated in violet diamonds and black snowflakes on her wings.

"Hi," the female dragon sighed. "I'm… Katzen. Pleased to meet you…"

"…Ultima, thank you," Phoenix sighed, having his heart lifted for the first time in a long while. "I've never actually had someone in my life before…"

"And hopefully you resentment of your brother getting all of the good friends in the arena might not get in the way of your relationship with Katzen," Ultima answered.

"She's just all I need for now…" Phoenix answered happily. "Thank you for helping me." With that said, Ultima walked out of her own room, glad that her own brothers have someone most important to take care of in life. Once the hallway quieted down, Sozo and Hakai walked up behind her, ready for another private lesson with her.

"I didn't want to see Phoenix be all miserable," Ultima said.

"We realize what you've done to make you brother better, but was it the right thing?" Sozo asked. As soon as the vision was over, Kirby's mind was transported back into his body back into Gallia.

* * *

Kirby woke on top of Inkling's body, unaware of what happened back there. As soon as Fox McCloud walked up to the pink puffball and lifted him off, Clementine quickly jumped up, with no memory of what happened.

"Squoo-by!" the Inkling chirped, being lifted up by Link.

"Are you okay?" Fox asked Kirby. The pink puffball quickly jumped onto the road, nodding that he was alright. Sighing with relief, the current group of gathered fighters was about to approach the city of Electronica again before the watch-like device beeped on Piranha Plant. The carnivorous flower pressed it once, and a transmission from Barbara the Bat appeared.

"Go through the city back to the ruins, and quick!" Barbara said. "There would be no time to explain everything! We've mapped out the World of Light, and there are a group of Shackrabs miles away from your destination!" The transmission then ended.

"Best we get a move-on," the Mii Swordfighter said. Waving his hand to call back his Mii troops, the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn grabbed Inkling's arm and went with his friends through Electronica.


	45. Pt 45: The Secret Base

Mario and his own teammates stood in front of the base that sealed them outside before, with Faker standing beside Joker as he cuddled Pichu in his arms.

"Well, we're here," Marth said. The Hero-King then looked to the laptop that served as a way in if they had figured out the passcode, noticing the gate itself was already opened by none other than the Susie Spirit, who was leaning next to the computer this whole time. The passcode itself vanished before any of the fighters managed to catch a good glimpse at it.

Noticing the new change to the base's entrance, Mario and his gang instantly knew that getting into the base was their next step. The red plumber then walked off, followed by Marth, Donkey Kong, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Lucas, Duck Hunt, and Isabelle. Pichu woke up cuddled next to Joker's chest, and the small mouse Pokémon quickly hopped out and ran in with the Phantom Thief of Hearts following him. Faker was about to join them too, but first she turned to Susie.

"What… was the passcode?" Faker asked.

"Galeem's brother," Susie answered. "Turns out the answer was Phoenix before it… glitched all of a sudden and spelled something different… I've got to tell you before it vanishes from my memory. Rigging the computer's system would do minor things to your head so that your mind forgets what they're talking about…"

"What did the passcode say then?" Faker asked. The Master Legendary Spirit was just about to answer before she was interrupted by Faker's friends calling.

"Hurry up!" Joker called out. "We haven't got all day!"

"C-Coming!" Faker responded before turning back to Susie. "I'm so sorry. I have to go…"

"That's alright, considering you'll probably learn about your identity in time," Susie sighed. "See you later, if there ever would be one." The brown-skinned warrior glad in dragon armor ran into the base, trying to catch up to her friends.

Walking through the secret base, the group of fighters looked around for any surveillance cameras hidden in plain sight, only to find out there weren't any. Usually, a base would be showing military troops hiding powerful equipment, but it seemed empty like everywhere they had currently been. The group was just near the door, ready to walk into an open base. All of a sudden, a large blade beam attacked the fighters out of nowhere. Joker managed to grab Pichu and Isabelle as he jumped out of the way, but the other fighters were knocked back from the collision. Riding on jetpack-like boots was none other than Mega Man himself.

"Spies have intruded the base," a different voice spoke from Mega Man's body. "Do I have the right to attack?"

"Permission granted," King Bulbin spoke over the speaker attached to the Mega Man Primary's face. "Make sure not a single one of them lives." The transmission ended, and the captured fighter pulled out a katana beam sword, which gleamed turquoise under the sunlight.

"Gemnu Zero!" the Mega Man Primary shouted, unleashed a powerful beam down onto the ground, targeting first Olimar and then moving on to Marth.

"I'm betting it's that Zero Assist Trophy with the Z-Saber we've forgotten about, huh?" Marth asked. The Hero-King recognized the Ryuenjin as his fiery slash, the Kuenzan as his spinning move, and even the Kuenbu and Hienkyaku as his jump and midair dash as the Mega Man Primary closed in on the other fighters.

"We've got to take Mega Man down in order to proceed!" Marth exclaimed, countering the powerful beams from the captured fighter's Z-Saber.

"On it!" Mario answered, dashing as fast as he could towards the blue bomber. Mario quickly pulled out his golden cape, reflecting another Gemnu Zero attack back at the captured fighter. The Mega Man Primary was quickly knocked back onto the concrete ground, bruised and broken with bits of wires sticking out of his possessed body. Mario quickly landed in front of the malfunctioning Mega Man Primary. Mario then threw his cap on the captured fighter's head, managing to avoid the fiery uppercut from the Mega Man Primary as Mario himself was sucked into the blue bomber's body.

"What the…?" Joker asked, a bit confused as to what happened. From what both the Phantom Thief and his friends could gather was that Mario managed to use his Cappy companion to capture the Mega Man Primary with the red cap and moustache still present on Mega Man's face. Not even Zero's Master Legendary Spirit could be able to control the body which he has taken over for now. However, before Mario could use the Z-Saber to stab Mega Man's body with it, the Galeem Lock instantly pushed the red plumber out of the blue bomber's body. Feeling mocked, the already-captured fighter kicked his own right heel to activate his only-functioning jet thruster. Though it had slow startup, the jet send the Mega Man Primary dashing faster than the group of fighters could react. Standing calm and collected, the team of warriors stood their ground as the captured fighter approached closer. Once the Mega Man Primary unleashed his Z-Saber again, Joker pulled out his dagger and stabbed the captured fighter right in the painted-titanium chest, instantly killing the Mega Man Primary.

Once the blue bomber dropped dead, a bright light flashed on Mega Man's body. Even if the light was blinding enough, the group of fighters saw that the Zero Spirit was floating off with the white mist that was supposedly the Galeem Lock broken. As soon as the light faded, Mario slowly approached Mega Man's fully-healed body, tapping the metallic skin to wake the blue bomber up.

"Pichu…?" Pichu asked as he hopped next to Mega Man's head, jabbing lightly with his delicate paws. The friction of Pichu's scratching managed to wake Mega Man up, and the red glows in his pupils were gone. The android pushed himself off the concrete ground, with Lucas helping him up.

"What happened?" Mega Man asked in his normal voice.

"There was the usual possession by Spirits mostly from your home world... mumbo-jumbo," Joker answered before Mario could speak. "The point is: we saved you from potential doom and that is that." Just then, an alarm was blaring all over the secret base, alerting the military troops hiding inside.

"Alert!" a robotic feminine voice spoke from the speakers. "Intruders have infiltrated the base."

"Follow me," Mega Man said, running off to the side of the base. Mario, Marth, Joker, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Lucas, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, and Pichu with Faker all shadowed behind the blue bomber, climbing on a ladder up the walls as King Bulbin rode out on Lord Bullbo with Bokoblin troops.

"They can't have gone that far," King Bulbin growled, turning to his men without even noticing the group of fighters climbing onto the roof. "Make sure the Mii Fighters and the Subspace Army defend Galleon at all costs. We can't have the Galeem Void broken."

"But we don't know who told them about this plan," one Bokoblin objected. King Bulbin then approached the Bokoblin that spoke and slapped the creature hard on the face. Meanwhile, Mega Man on the roof managed to open a small emergency exit into the base.

"Don't give me that bullcrap!" Bulbin snarled, not aware of Donkey Kong stretching the metal on the roof wide enough so that he and the rest of his friends could get in.

"One of Galeem's followers has betrayed him in order to foil his rules!" Bulbin continued. "Once we find him, we'll give him the horrible treatment he deserves! Until then, it's up to the armies and Supporters we sent out to keep this world in check! Now let's ride off!" The Bokoblin King then lashed his steed Bullbo, and the mutant pig galloped off with the Bokoblin troops following after him. By that time, Mega Man and his companions had already jumped into the secret base, ready to look for Galleon, the Purple Giant.

With Mega Man in the lead, the blue bomber quietly began sneaking around for a way to Galleon, for the gates to where the Subspace Cyborg was waiting for them was sealed off by futuristic gates. Afterwards, the fighters managed to find what they were looking for as they snuck through the halls: computers to override the gates, guarded by Mii Fighters, Shadow Bugs, and Supporters.

"We need to find a way to get the gates open without getting caught," Mega Man explained, hiding behind a wall with his friends.

"Uh… just a quick reminder: we're already targeted so it wouldn't matter if we go in stealth or in plain sight," Joker objected. "However, if you want to find a way through here… just look up to me. I'm the definition of stealth." The Phantom Thief began hopping behind the three kinds of troops, undetected. Before any of the Supporters, Subspace creatures, or Mii Fighters in that small group managed to catch Mario and the gang hiding behind the wall, Joker began slashing from behind with his dagger, shooting any witnesses with his pistol shortly after. The Phantom Thief then ran towards the computer marked "1".

"Override… manual… gates…" Joker typed as he literally said those words. A browser folder then appeared on the screen, with a shutdown button at the bottom-right. The Phantom Thief dragged the computer mouse over the icon and double-clicked, with a window appearing just as he was finished.

"Are you sure you want to shut down? This computer will be permanently disabled if you do so, granting access through gate no. 1," read the window. Sighing with annoyance, Joker clicked the yes option. The screen on the laptop went black, and the futuristic laser gate with the number 1 glowing on its surface vanished.

"Now's our chance!" Faker whispered, dashing towards the next computer that was right in front of her. There were Supporters and Primids present, and they somehow avoided Faker as she went right to the computer and began attacking the other fighters. While the group of companions engaged in a short battle, rescuing more Spirits in the process, Faker managed to get the second gate open, calling her friends to advance.

After Mario and his friends managed to emerge victorious in their small battles with their enemies and two more gates were opened, the group was almost to the final gate where their main target was waiting for them. However, when the warriors arrived at the main computer system, they noticed it was already dark with the futuristic gate labeled "5" providing the only illumination here. Even then, there were still a lot of computers to browse through and see which one the key to their current objective is.

While the small team of fighters began typing away on the keyboards and clicking the override icons with the computer mice, Joker heard some sort of scuttling noise. The Phantom Thief stopped his work as the rest of his friends carried on without him, slowly approaching the source of the noise. As soon as Joker was about to give up, his leather jacket snagged on a cardboard box. Marked with the Smash Ball symbol.

 _That's strange,_ Joker thought. _…What's a box doing here?_ Growing a little suspicious, the Phantom Thief grabbed ahold of the cardboard box, lifting it up to see who it was underneath. Surprise to behold, it was Solid Snake, with the white mist that signaled the Galeem Lock, red pupils, and everything. Even the Master Legendary Spirit that had possessed his body – Liquid Snake – seemed to prove it.

"You know… you should really pick a better hiding spot rather than a simple cardboard box left out in the open," Joker teased before Snake kicked the Phantom Thief down to the metal floor. Joker's friends instantly stopped what they were doing and caught Snake pinning Joker down, pushing the Phantom Thief's pistol from his face.

"Leave him alone!" Lucas cried, grabbing the Snake Primary with help from his Rope Snake. Tossing the captured fighter into the air, Lucas managed to combo his throw with a little bit of his PSI abilities. Joker quickly got up and grabbed the Snake Primary from behind as soon as a grenade was pulled out. The rest of the fighters were about to team up with Joker before they were stopped.

"Stay away, guys!" Joker snarled, attempting to choke the Snake Primary from behind. "This is a fight between me and the mercenary!" The Phantom Thief then tossed the captured fighter with the grenade into a row of computers, with the explosion destroying them in the process. Before the Snake Primary could get up, Joker grabbed ahold of the captured fighter and began swinging him into different computers.

"Figured if we can't browse through every single one of these doohickeys, we might as well break through them!" Joker growled, slamming the Snake Primary into the central computer. The electrical blast instantly rigged the last of the gates to open and shocked the Snake Primary to death in the process. After the smoke cleared, Faker pulled away the rocks that she used to protect the fighters. The dim lights in the base went back on, and in the wreckage was Joker, battered and bruised, attempting to wake up Snake.

"Snake-a!" Mario exclaimed, running towards the unconscious mercenary. Isabelle dashed next to Joker, watching as the Phantom Thief slapped Snake back to awareness. With a powerful smack, the mercenary quickly woke up, free from the Galeem Lock and back to normal.

"What the… Where am I?" Snake asked, groaning as he was hoisted up by Joker. The mercenary saw the familiar faces of his friends right in front of him, but he did not recognize the Phantom Thief that had just saved him.

"Who the hell are you?" Snake continued in question. Faker walked up to the front of the mercenary, trying to explain in a brief sentence.

"It's a long story, and I probably won't have enough time to explain what's happening," Faker answered. "Let's just say that I'm Faker and this is Joker. Unlike me, the Phantom Thief is one of the only people who has survived Galeem's attack."

"Survived?" Snake said.

"Like Faker explained, it's complicated," Marth finished. "Now do you think you can help us in our mission to defeat Galleon? We've got a plan that just might save us all and this is one of the many steps in doing so."

"Why wouldn't I?" Snake refined. "I've been waiting to kick that seraph's ass for as long as I was probably under possession." Faker then rushed to the opened gate, heading down to a large, empty room. The recruited fighters caught up to join her, seeing nothing but metal walls and flickering lights.

While the team was slowly walking down the place, Lucas seemed to be the only one completely nervous about this whole situation. He began trembling as he thought he heard the sounds of metallic grindings to the point that he began sparking up PSI powers in his fingertips. Joker was the first one to notice Lucas's knees buckling.

"What's the matter, kid?" Joker asked.

"Yeah," Snake replied. "I'm sure a few of us have faced against that robot monkey before… well, Marth with two of his friends anyway. It's no big deal." Lucas shook his head from that response.

"It's what happens after you defeat Galleon," Lucas noted. "Red and I noticed it when we went searching for his Pokémon, deep in an ancient temple. I'm quite positive Marth noticed the explosion too, and even without admitting it is too afraid to go-" Before the PSI boy could finish, a large slam echoed through out the empty room, instantly startling the group of recruited fighters.

A deepened robotic roar blasted through their ears, proving that the monster they are right now facing against is Galleon, sentient of the Subspace Army. The monstrous cyborg gazed down upon the fighters, completely obeying the orders of Galeem. Slamming down with both of his fists, Galleon attempted on crushing the warriors, but they all quickly jumped out of the way. Marth and Lucas backed away with Faker, completely aware of what would happen next but knew that Galleon's defeat is necessary for the plan to work… if the rest of their friends have survived.

"Why are Marth and Lucas backing away?!" Mario asked, reflecting the explosive rockets with his cape. "Do they know something we don't?!"

"Probably," Snake answered, using his RPG to fire his own rockets at Galleon's metallic body. Joker began climbing onto Galleon's body, slashing rapidly with his dagger. The purple giant then grabbed ahold of the Phantom Thief, pummeling by clenching his fists. Lucas saw the other fighters trying to free Joker from Galleon's grasp and ran towards his friends. Marth knew what was going on too and left Faker behind for her to throw rocks and fireballs from a safe distance. While the fiery blasts and crumbling stones scratched Galleon, the purple cyborg felt his hand cut from Joker's knife. The Phantom Thief quickly pulled out his pistol and began firing shots. Donkey Kong and Olimar quickly jumped onto Galleon's body as the cyborg shifted into a tank and started shooting missiles. PAC-MAN, Marth, Mario, Lucas, Duck Hunt, Isabelle, Pichu, Mega Man, and Joker jumped behind Galleon and began attacking from behind, unaware that he was releasing steam from the holes in his mask and pulsing red.

Galleon began stepping rapidly, slamming his feet into the ground and attempting to bury the fighters, unaware of Faker still attacking him from a distance. Marth and Lucas both started using their special abilities, with the Hero-King dancing with his blade and Lucas spamming PK Fire. Galleon then began spinning in place, powered by the rockets on his feet. It created a tornado-esque vortex around himself and began drawing in the fighters. Joker then began taking off his mask, coated in blue flames once again and summoning his main Persona: Arsene. Both the Phantom Thief and his Persona began spinning around Galleon, digging deep into his metallic skin faster than the Subspace Cyborg could react. Eventually, Joker with his mask intact on his face and Arsene gone swiped harshly with his knife as soon as the tornado vortex was gone. Joker then landed in a perfect pose as soon as bits and pieces began falling around the fighters, glad that their little mission was over.

"We did it!" Mega Man cheered, hugging Joker's legs.

"Thank god that's over," Snake sighed, rubbing Isabelle's head. The team was just calming down before they began hearing a familiar beeping noise. Lucas began panicking and grabbed Marth's hand, quickly running away.

"What's wrong with that kid?" Joker added.

"I think it's something familiar that we REALLY wanted to forget…" Mario frightfully answered. Hidden in Galleon's head, there was an activated Subspace Bomb, counting down through 10 seconds. Joker, Mega Man, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, Pichu, and PAC-MAN had no idea what a Subspace Bomb really was, so there was no time for them to react as Donkey Kong, Snake, Olimar, and Mario quickly grabbed ahold of them and started running with Faker. As soon as the countdown finished, a violet explosion of Subspace occurred.

The fighters and Faker were running away from the fast-expanding explosion, clearly not having enough time to attack the incoming enemy. Subspace Army troops, Mii Fighters, and Supporters were trying to keep Mario and his team from escaping the secret base, even if it meant their deaths themselves. Neither side had time as they started pushing against each other for survival. The Subspace explosion was closing in fast, and it seemed like just the end for both sides. Faker, being the slowest of them all so far, was starting to lose her friends as the explosion was taking up everything and she was starting to be sucked in.

Luckily, the brown-skinned warrior began sparking up little charges of electricity through her fingertips, which grew in size the faster she ran. Lightning bolts sparked up in her eyes, and she ran faster until the bolts grew to an enormous size and caused her to zip faster than the speed of light. An electrical current passed through Mario, Marth, Joker, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Lucas, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, Pichu, Mega Man, and Snake, instantly picking them up and carrying them out of the base.

Faker appeared in front of the base from a safe distance, carrying all of her friends on her back with as much strength as she could muster. After she dropped them onto the ground, the team ran behind a large rock and took cover as the explosion from the Subspace Bomb covered the entire secret base. The group looked north to see the glowing-blue UV sphere barrier covering the Galeem Void being stripped away from the Subspace explosion's powerful vortex. Hexagon-shaped pieces began flying from the forcefield, changing its color to a bright yellow and causing it to blink slightly. It seemed like the pieces wouldn't stop flying into the violet colors until the Subspace explosion waned as fast as it emerged. Once the spherical blast closed in on itself, there was nothing but a barren area where the secret base once stood, completely void of grass and other vegetation.

Mario was the first to walk out, not even able to question how Faker managed to rescue everyone on their team so far. Joker, Mega Man, Isabelle, PAC-MAN, Duck Hunt, and Pichu then walked out behind the red plumber, surprised by what they had just witnessed.

"Now you know what-a Subspace is?" Mario asked. Joker nodded, realizing this was the very first Subspace explosion he and some of his friends had just witnessed. Once Faker, Donkey Kong, Olimar, Marth, Snake, and Lucas knew it was safe for them to come out, they walked onto the desolate region.

"Acted a little differently than when we first came across the Subspace Army," Marth remarked. "When they occurred, they would take pieces of this world for its former leader. Now it seems like it's weakening Galeem's barrier…"

"We better get a move-on, then," Joker explained. "Our next step is to travel around the world and stabilize Galeem's ever-spreading army of these… Light Puppets. We probably don't know who these new enemies are, so I guess we'll call them Light Puppets…"

* * *

Deep in the Galeem Void, the Seraph of Order sat on his crystal throne, peering into the magical mirror that showed what Mario and his team accomplished. Floating from his resting place, Galeem began to fear that his captured slaves were beginning to revolt thanks to the six survivors of his attack and Kirby, the one who started it all. Just then, King Bulbin rode in on Lord Bullbo, dragging the Werewolf on a muzzle, the lycanthrope's hands bound in front of his chest with thick cuffs of rope.

"Lord Galeem," King Bulbin explained. "We've found the traitor." King Bulbin then tossed the Werewolf in front of Galeem. You probably could not tell because of the bright light illuminating his humanoid form, but the Seraph of Order had enragement written on his face.

"…You know what you did," Galeem calmly said, with a little bit of a dragon growl in his voice. The seraphic being levitated down to the Werewolf's eye level, causing the lycanthrope to shield his eyes as best as he could due to Galeem being half as bright as the sun itself.

"Because of your sympathetic feelings towards the Smashers, you know the consequences," Galeem continued. The Seraph of Order then pulled out his humanoid hand, slapping so hard he left a glowing-white scar on the Werewolf's face, closely resembling dragon claw marks. The lycanthrope then snarled underneath his muzzle, threatening to attack and maul Galeem on the spot if it wasn't for two Bokoblin that quickly grabbed his leash.

"Unlike your monstrous friends over here, I am growing sentiment," the Werewolf answered. "They may not have it now, but King Bulbin, Balder, everyone that is forced to serve you just to have their bodies back, will start to have the urge to rebel and turn against you. Both the Mii Fighters and the Subspace Army will turn against you for they know what is right… The Super smash Brothers WILL end all this, and you will come crawling back to the Light Dimension from where you escaped." Galeem, knowing he is not afraid of anything, floated back to his crystal throne. The seraphic being then pulled on the Chains of Light, only this time they were not imprisoning Tabuu. From the shadows of the Galeem Void emerged Arcadia's Master Core, with golden threads woven into his silky Hand shell to identify him from all of the other Master Hands.

The black Swarms mixed with yellowish specks surrounded Galeem, with the seraph's wings outstretched. Gleaming blue, the Swarms then were absorbed into Galeem's body, generating another black hole. With one blast, the Seraph of Order used his beam attack to instantly reduce the Werewolf to a Spirit form. As soon as the beam curved back towards Galeem and instantly formed Arcadia's Master Hand again, the Werewolf appeared in the form of a glowing-green Spirit, free from his bondages. Galeem returned to his current form afterwards.

The Master Hand then used Galeem's light to summon the Crazy Hand from his shadow, and the two went behind the Werewolf Spirit. With Bulbin and his troops stepping back, the two Hands ripped open a hole in midair, instantly sucking in the lycanthrope. The Werewolf had been forever banished to the Dark Dimension.

Once the Crazy Hand instantly vanished, the Master Hand of Arcadia floated back to Galeem's side. As soon as the black hole vanished, King Bulbin and his Bokoblin soldiers walked up to the Seraph of Order, a little terrified.

"Get out of my sight," Galeem commanded. "And don't come back until you've finished every single one of those awakened fighters." King Bulbin then kicked the side of his steed Lord Bullbo, and the wild boar galloped off with the Bokoblin. Tabuu, who was watching this whole time, appeared on Galeem's right side.

"You sent the Werewolf to the Dark Dimension?" Tabuu asked, rubbing his aching wrists bound by the Chains of Light.

"It had to be done," Galeem answered, placing one of his wings on the Construct God's shoulder. "You know what punishment I bring to those who disobey, and I only need the help of Arcadia's Master Hand and his brother."

"But you know what happens once you do so," Tabuu objected. "HE might notice your intentions of multiversal domination and plans to put an end to your domain…" Galeem then grabbed Tabuu's Chains of Light, pulling the Construct God close to himself.

"At least you dare did not speak his name," Galeem sighed with relief. "I will make sure none of the Super Smash Brothers defeat me and the curse upon the Dark Dimension isn't broken." Once the Seraph of Order adjusted his posture to be more comfortable on his crystal throne, he continued watching Faker with Mario, Marth, Olimar, Donkey Kong, Lucas, PAC-MAN, Joker, Duck Hunt, Mega Man, Isabelle, Snake, and Pichu travel from where the secret base once was to east, heading to who-knows-where.

* * *

Deep in the Dark Dimension, the Werewolf began looking around, seeing nothing but pitch-black all around him. Terrified, the lycanthrope tried to accept the fact that this is his prison from now on. Just as soon as the Werewolf turned around, a booming sound occurred right in front of him. The anthro-wolf then saw a gleaming, pale-green eye with a black, vertical slit pupil right in front of him, the exact same size as Galeem's orb-like body; it was also providing the only light in this empty void.

"A new guest in my humble home," the eye spoke in a slightly deepened, calm voice.

"I didn't come here intentionally," the Werewolf stuttered. "Galeem banished me here."

"…Did you say Galeem?" the eye asked. A slight chuckle came from the stranger, confusing the Werewolf quite a bit.

"Wait until the Seraph of Order is overthrown," the eye continued. "I have been watching time itself through here and have been waiting for this moment…"


	46. Pt 46: Tensions Rise

After exiting the futuristic city of Electronica, Kirby and his team appeared back at the three-way ruins, where both the pink puffball and the Piranha Plant split up from Mario to rescue Sheik and Villager. The Mii Swordfighter army marched out from the city behind the Middle Fab Fairy Spirit, some wounded and even dead after the previously-mentioned Shackrab attack.

"You okay out there?" Barbara the Bat spoke from the Piranha Plant's watch-like device. The ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn, Captain Falcon, Link, Fox, Sheik, Villager, Dr. Mario, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Inkling, and all the Mii Fighter troops they had gathered so far crowded around to listen over the Piranha Plant's communicator… everyone except for Kirby, who ran off not too far from his team after being distracted by a tiny butterfly.

"First, you continue down north back to the Cinnamon Hills, heading east until you come across a waterfall. Then…" Barbara continued over the communicator, with the rather-large group not even noticing two strands of white mist floating over them,. They were fragments of the Galeem Lock that held Mega Man and Snake in captivity under possession of their selected Spirits, and they appeared right in front of Kirby, scaring away the butterfly he was chasing.

"…Poyo?" Kirby asked. While none of the fighters were looking as they paid attention to the plan, the two mists and the Spirits quickly entered Kirby's body, stiffening the pink demon. Kirby silently panicked as usual while his eyes flashed the symbol of the Smash Ball in a glowing white. He blacked out again, ready for another vision.

* * *

Kirby rubbed his cuddly face again, back at the Midair Stadium, or in the vision's case the Sky Temple Training Arena. The pink puffball started hearing noises from the training room on his right, with Sozo yelling commands.

"Slam with your front paws!" Sozo yelled from behind the door. The result from the supposed-Dragosmo students was a shockwave powerful enough to knock Kirby onto his feet if he had a solid body.

"Kick with your back legs and swing you tail!" Sozo continued as Kirby walked through the shut door. The pink puffball saw the golden-eyed general training few of the Dragosmo students, including Ultima, Galeem, and his getting-there sweetheart Medley with her sister Katzen. Together, each one of those dragons was learning about the traditional skills of the current Rainbolements of Fire and Earth.

"And… that's enough," Sozo finished. "Take a fifteen-minute break, but remember that few of you have a lesson with Hakai afterwards as soon as he finishes up his private teachings." Ultima helped open the door for Medley and Katzen while Galeem simply stayed behind.

"You're not coming?" Ultima asked.

"I'd prefer improving the lessons I have learned with General Sozo," Galeem answered. "Practice makes perfect, as one says."

"We're heading off now, okay?" Medley giggled, running up to Galeem and rubbing her nuzzle against his face lovingly. Ultima laughed as the golden-snowflake dragon ran off and left her white-armored brother red-faced. Nonetheless, she and Katzen followed Medley to the next training room.

General Hakai was at another training room, hundreds of feet apart from the previous location. The only Dragosmo he seemed to be teaching was Phoenix, and even then it was simply criticizing on how the young student's move could improve better. The lessons Hakai covered were not so much as actually paying attention to given commands, but moreover getting creative with an individual's own attacks. The purple-eyed general claimed that any enemy has a special technique waiting to appear, so each Dragosmo must come up with their own solution to survive if the traditional option is not given.

As Ultima, Medley, and Katzen went in to visit their brother Phoenix, the three girls were amazed by the skills the black-armored dragon with magenta flaming wings could pull off. He was doing tricks that were his own, like creating erupting pillars out of the ground with his own will from a simple breath.

"I suppose you're here for lessons as well?" Hakai asked once Phoenix was finished with his creative display.

"Of course," Ultima answered. She and her two dragon friends got into their position, with Katzen walking toward Phoenix's side.

"It sure feels empty in here," Ultima continued. "Shouldn't there be other students?"

"It is just me and General Hakai," Phoenix answered. "Even though the dragon you have introduced me to arrives and spends most of her time with Hakai's lessons, there is no one else to appear for lessons… or even befriend me…"

"But one friend is more than enough," Katzen answered, placing her front paw on Phoenix's shoulder. "And I'm glad I have you."

"We can all explain why we're miserable later on," Medley interrupted, already flapping her wings and getting herself off the ground. However, before they were about to begin, the elderly head dragon mistress at the stadium's entrance spoke over the speaker.

"Attention," the elderly dragon spoke over the speakers. "We have arrived at the mystical planet of… Raifujin. Please wait at the main door in an organized formation and wait for instructions from your teachers."

"That's our cue," Hakai noted, heading out if the training room.

"But… what about our lesson?" Katzen asked.

"Time will tell," Hakai answered. "We'll have plenty of time for training once we get that new Rainbolement."

K irby, still in his Smash Ball State, watched as the Dragosmos lined up at the door, ready to set foot onto the next planet they are currently visiting. Sozo and Hakai pushed open the doors, revealing the world of Raifujin to the students. There was lightning flashing through the stormy skies, and there was not a single sign of vegetation anywhere, even though the air was fresh and pure. Flying transportation pods zipped over the city skylines, leaving trails of light behind them.

"Follow me," Sozo noted, taking off into the sky with his brother Hakai. The Dragosmo students flew off into the air and began following their teachers, with Ultima and her brothers in front of them. As they soared above the skies, Ultima was the only one to notice that the light-speed transporter vehicles had no windows, probably being advanced enough to get a good view from the inside. Regardless, Ultima flew as fast as she could to ask Sozo and Hakai just to satisfy her curiosity.

"Where are all the civilians?" Ultima asked.

"You'll see," Sozo answered. The flight was over a few minutes, and all of those dragons landed in front of a large building gleaming a bright yellow in the windowsills. Once the group walked inside, they saw a landscape that looked like it came out of a utopian sci-fi movie.

"Wow," Galeem said. "Where are we?"

"We are in the Thunder Heliodor Tower," Sozo explained. "You see, thousands of years ago, there was an intelligent and powerful Class 5 civilization long-lost in history, and few to this day remember the terrible tales of their order and harsh government. Creatures of passable intelligence still do not know who they were or what they looked like, but many have imagined them to be beings made out of pure focused energy, explaining why they had drastically vanished without a trace when their main source power, the Thunder Heliodor, became too powerful to control.

"When the Thunder Heliodor unleashed its true potential, the Raifujin Empire had drastically decreased, retreating all the way back to it's origin planet. Both the stone and the civilization's technology had quickly recovered on it's own, but their creators were nowhere to be seen, so they act peaceful to anyone who visits this planet made out of only one city. They also have completely forgotten their terrible usage of their warfare being controlled over for domination and now only use it for otherworldly threats. This comes to show you that an alien planet's technology is still beneficial, even if its most intelligent species has long been extinct."

"That's deep," one Dragosmo answered.

"At least be glad you're lucky," Hakai remarked. "If they were alive right now, they would've killed us the second we set foot on Raifujin. You all wait right here while we manage to get the stone that'll inherit you your powers." The two generals then jumped up and flew off while the Dragosmos took a look around the tower.

While Ultima was admiring the ancient technology to see how this long-lost civilization thrived before that accident, she noticed her brother Phoenix trying to befriend the other dragons, even pleading to be noticed, but every dragon that came to contact with him simply ran away to meet up with Galeem, since they had believed that he was more friendly and reliable to be an actual friend to them. A small cloud of sooty smoke puffed out of Phoenix's nostrils, jealous as he watched his brother was getting all the attention and popularity simply by good looks, even admitting he had found Medley as his sweetheart.

"Calm down, Phoenix," Katzen said, sitting on her hind legs and cupping Phoenix's face lovingly.

"Not now, Phoenix," Katzen explained. "Try to let your anger go…" Ultima ran to Phoenix's side, noticing how more painful life was getting for her black-armored brother and how rewarding it was for Galeem.

"It is not worth it," Phoenix sighed. "It is just not worth it."

"You might want to let this go," Ultima resorted, trying to help calm her brother down. "Besides, you have Katzen."

"No matter how much time passes, I will never let go of this feeling and rejection," Phoenix answered, pushing Katzen's front paws away.

"Time will go on," Ultima remarked. "Regardless of how painful it is, most people just let go of their emotions and accept reality for the better." As Phoenix was walking off, he glared toward his sister and sweetheart with a low growl.

"Not me," Phoenix answered calmly. Once the black-armored dragon with magenta wings walked away, Katzen placed her front paw on Ultima's shoulder.

"Maybe he's right," Katzen said. "Perhaps Galeem is getting too much attention around here…"

"I think so too," Ultima answered. "Maybe perhaps Galeem would share some of that popularity pie with Phoenix in time…" The black-coated dragon with rainbow-spectrum wings then looked back at the technology that she was admiring before. From Kirby's perspective, most of the weapons she looked at were very similar to the armor and weapons displayed on most members of the Subspace Army. The two weapons he found the most interesting were devices in similar situations and sizes to the Dark Cannons and Subspace Bombs, though they were completely lacking the feel and texture that would fit an army of darkness.

As time went on, Sozo and Hakai had returned to the Dragosmo group with the Thunder Heliodor dangling on a golden chain necklace from the golden-eyed general's mouth. All of the students, including Galeem and Phoenix, appeared in front of them, and Katzen was alerting Ultima by shaking her.

"Generals Sozo and Hakai are back," Katzen noted, shaking Ultima with her front paw. Knowing what was about to happen next, Ultima ran with Katzen to the two generals. Sozo then let go of the golden chain linked to the stone, letting it hover in midair for a while. The Thunder Heliodor then began spinning around, faster and faster, generating a mystical power that shot out like electricity. It zipped through each of the Dragosmo students one-by-one, generating new life within them.

Without warning, a green-coated dragon shot up into the air, coated with lightning. The other students quickly backed away, watching the dragon spasm it before landing on the ground without a scratch.

"Easy now, Tyker," Sozo alerted with a smile on his face. "Now everyone get in formation as we spend another few hours training with the abilities of the new-founded Thunder Rainbolement. The Thunder itself signifies speed, giving us the tools to escape from danger as quickly as possible. It also allows us to strike with lightning-fast attacks, making us an unpredictable force like the ancient civilization that had long ago existed on the planet of Raifujin. Now then… let us start off with a simple, yet basic breath to simply shoot bolts out of your mouth." Each one of the Dragosmo students tried harnessing their energy to use the Thunder, but ended up using the Fire Rainbolement instead or rarely the Earth. Eventually, few of the students managed to spew out a small but passable bolt, positive to try again. As what felt like minutes had passed, and the Dragosmo students were ready to learn another technique, the vision flashed white, reminding Kirby that it was done for right now.

* * *

"…and after you take the blue pipe back, simply head up north and meet with your friends back there to finish off the Seraph of Order," Barbara finished on Piranha Plant's communicator. When the pink puffball woke up from the vision, he noticed that his friends were already complete with learning about their plan. Fox McCloud walked up to Kirby and helped him up.

"What are you doing around here, sleeping on the mission?" Fox asked. "We've got an objective for now, and we're heading to the Magma Castle." The Star Fox leader picked up the pink puffball, carrying him on his head as Kirby's allied team headed up north to a forest next to the Cinnamon Hills.

"…This shouldn't be too hard to get through here now, considering that we've cleared the hills last time we came through here," Link noted before he instantly stopped, pulling out his Master Sword and Hylian Shield. He had just heard rustling coming from the forest's bushes, both the Mii Swordfighter army, the Middle Fab Fairy, and the Smashers got their guards up to see who it was. Dr. Mario slowly approached the bush, pushing away the leaves to uncover Flowey himself.

As the small, yellow-petal flower looked at the group with Dr. Mario backing away, Kirby, Villager, and Piranha Plant all hid in fear behind the Middle Fab Fairy.

"Relax, guys," Little Mac laughed. "It's just a harmless, little flow-" Before Little Mac could finish, Flowey exposed his demon face, biting into the small boxer's pointing arm. Little Mac quickly backed away in pain, clenching his arm to hide the teeth marks while wincing. After being threatened, the troops quickly raised their weapons and fists against the demonic monster flower.

"I went easy on you last time," Flowey spoke, his voice a lot raspier. "I only wanted to have a little game with you, but I'm gonna be serious right now!" Wrapping thorny vines in front of him, Flowey called forth the Jigglypuff Primary to keep the fighters busy while he himself attacked the Mii troops.

The Spirit in control of Jigglypuff's body was Prince Starfy of the Pufftop Kingdom, simply using the Star Spin attack he used when he was an Assist Trophy. The other fighters wanted to attack the Jigglypuff Primary, but Kirby decided to attack, convincing his friends in his own language to go after Flowey, who grew in size and was doing a heavy number on the Mii Swordfighters. A vortex swirled around the Jigglypuff Primary as Kirby grabbed ahold of the captured fighter, transporting away from Gallia for now.

Flowey grabbed a few of the Mii Swordfighters with his vines, tossing them left and right. His demonic laughter echoed through the woods as he enjoyed slaughtering all in his gaze. That was the type of monster he was. Just then, he felt the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn jumped onto his stem, hacking at it with his steel weapon.

"This… is what… you get… when you lay a hand… on my people… you bitch!" the Mii Swordfighter yelled. Flowey simply roared at that comment, struggling as Captain Falcon and Link started attacking at his petals. Soon, Fox, Sheik, Piranha Plant, Villager, Dr. Mario, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, and Inkling joined in and thrashed harshly at Flowey, all while trying to avoid his deadly seed-like bullets and thorny vines decorated with wilted rose buds.

The many thousands that had survived Flowey's ambush backed away with the Middle Fab Fairy, watching as the Smashers kept attacking the large, plant-like monster that was Flowey. Suddenly, a bright flash gleaned in front of Flowey's face, temporarily blinding him enough for the fighters to deal a devastating blow all at once. After Flowey shrunk back to his original size, he trembled at the fighters looking down upon him menacingly.

"Just wait until you least expect it," Flowey snarled, digging himself deeper into the ground. "You'll see!" After Flowey vanished below the grassy dirt, the fighters and the surviving Miis saw that the light that distracted Flowey was none other than Jigglypuff's unconscious body, which was saved by Kirby. The Pokémon drifted slowly downward, and Fox quickly grabbed the Jigglypuff before she touched the ground.

"…Jiggly?" the Pokémon asked as she was slowly waking up, awakened from the Galeem Lock. Once the group of warriors turned towards Kirby, they saw that the pink puffball had already absorbed the white mist that was the Lock, lying perfectly still with glowing-white eyes.

* * *

Kirby woke up back at the Sky Temple Training Arena, feeling as though a year and several months had passed before his eyes. According to the current vision's perspective, it did, as he had felt the stadium rumbling. Kirby quickly looked outside, seeing the landscape of Raifujin. The Dragosmo students, now much older, appearing almost as tall as the adult dragons, crowded near the window and said their goodbyes to what appeared to be their favorite "ancient civilization vacation" yet. The stadium itself was moving faster and faster away from the planet's surface until it appeared to be a simple star in the celestial sky.

As Kirby gazed into the wonders of the cosmos zipping right past the stadium as it traveled to it's next destination, he saw Ultima walking towards her brother Galeem. The pink puffball then remembered the reason why he was here and headed towards the feminine dragon, ready to see where this is going.

Galeem had just finished chatting with his sweetheart's friends, chuckling as they departed with smiles on their faces. Medley, who was next to Galeem at that time, noticed Ultima walking towards them and placed her front paw patrol on Galeem's chest. The white-collar dragon then saw his sister looking at him with golden eyes, knowing something is up.

"Galeem, can I talk to you for a minute… alone?" Ultima asked, answering with a voice barely similar to Faker's kind and motherly tone.

"Sure," Galeem answered, whisking Medley away from the conversation with his left wing and letting her meet up with a nearby group of female Dragosmos.

"What is it now, sis?" Galeem asked. Ultima sighed, knowing she'll regret her objection.

"It's about our brother Phoenix," Ultima replied. "Ever since we got here, Phoenix has always been the black sheep, feeling rejected by everyone. The only dragons that understand him better are General Hakai and the sister of the classmate you are dating."

"Well, too bad for him because of his looks simply scaring people and making him untrustworthy," Galeem answered, looking away.

"…What are you talking about?" Ultima asked, a little confused by the approach.

"General Sozo explained that my looks remind all of these dragons of the light," Galeem resounded. "He said that the light brings them hope and order, and they are willing to obey for what they think is right for them. Didn't Sozo tell you?"

"Of course he did," Ultima noted. "During my private lessons, Hakai had also told me how Phoenix is similar to the darkness, and there are sentiment creatures willing enough to harness the fear and chaos to their advantage. The only reason why they don't risk it is because of fear that their mood will drastically change. Besides, the only reason why I'm telling you before is at least… lend some of your friends to our brother…"

"It's his own fault his got into this mess anyway," Galeem said. "If he wants friends, he can look for them himself."

"If not for Phoenix, at least do it for yourself or even me, your own sister," Ultima objected. Galeem simply walked away, refusing to hear any more of this conversation.

"If you plan on talking to me on how much I'm an attention whore one more time, then we're through," Galeem growled. "Don't ever speak to me of my attitude again…" The white-collar dragon with blue-and-orange wings then departed, and none of the other Dragosmo classmates heard about the conversation between Ultima and her brother Galeem. Only Medley seemed to listen. She walked towards a saddened Ultima, knowing she had heard every word of the argument.

"I just don't understand him," Ultima sighed.

"You spent most of your training lessons with Sozo and Hakai to learn how to be the greatest," Medley noted. "That's a big jump for most of us, and the only students willing to train with Hakai alone are Phoenix and my sister Katzen. The rest of us only train with Sozo.

"...At least you don't have another sibling that cares about what you two think," Ultima sighed. "People have different dreams, and we'll have to accept reality for the better, but I don't know if the paths my brothers have picked were the right ones. They… could even be frightening me, like something cataclysmic might spark up between them, with not only me… but all of us in it. I've heard tales that a single Dragosmo can be so powerful he or she might be able to spark up a new universe."

"And what about if two Dragosmos get into a fight against one another?" Medley asked, stepping away from Ultima a bit. A long line of silence lingered between the two juvenile dragons, and the black-coated dragon with rainbow-spectrum wings had no answer. Just then, the Sky Temple Training Arena stopped it's traveling, and Sozo spoke over the speakers.

"Attention, Dragosmo students," Sozo noted. "We have arrived at Yangkatzu, home of the Life Rainbolement. Please line up at the main entrance and await instructions." Kirby watched as one half of the Dragosmo students lined up at the door, and the other was looking outside the windows to admire the new landscape. Ultima was one of the many dragons to look outside into the landscape, seeing thick, luscious treetops decorate the landscape. There were literally waterfalls flowing down colossal leaves, and dirt mounds were cluttered on the large branches to make way for smaller flowers. Fruits as large and heavy as the average human bloomed on the deciduous plants dominating the horizon, and there were what appeared to be wyverns, coated in vines and other forms and aspects of life, flying over and gathering the ripened produce for their bounties.

However, as Ultima gazed past the window, she looked back upon her brothers waiting at the door, noticeably a tad bit farther apart because of their slightly-growing resentment towards each other. As soon as Sozo and Hakai opened the door, the Dragosmo students, including Galeem and Phoenix, all flew out of the door.

"Be careful where you land," Hakai explained. "Yangkatzu is actually composed of a tiny piece of rock only a few miles across, and the plants setting root inside the planet have grown to such towering heights that they make it average-sized, so be expecting a lot of deep chasms. Our objective for now is visit the Minister of the Wyverns and obtain your powers from the Life Emerald. Now let's get going!" As soon as the students flew out, Galeem and Phoenix gave each other strong glares from across the room, and they took off one at a time with Galeem in front. Ultima looked into the sky-blue air, sighing in defeat as her brothers were growing resentful of each other.

"Ultima! Hurry up!" Sozo called out from the distance. With her head hung low, Ultima took to the skies and departed from the Sky Temple Training Arena. For now, one of the many visions was over for Kirby.

* * *

"Kirby?" Sheik's voice asked. "Are you okay?" Kirby slowly woke up, his body back to normal after the Smash Ball made him experience that origin story of who is currently considered the Smash Brother's greatest enemy yet. As Kirby hopped back on to his feet, Jigglypuff hugged the pink puffball, glad that she was rescued from the Galeem Lock.

"Thank God you're alright," Fox said. "You missed a manslaughter of Mii Swordfighters."

"Speaking of which… Kirby?" the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn noted, pointing to the watch-like device on Kirby's stubby arm. The pink puffball slipped it off and gave it to the Mii Swordfighter. With a single press, the Mii contacted the Undying Light.

"Flynn here, the greatest pilot in all of Skylands and the most handsomest. How can I help ya?" Flynn asked over the communicator.

"We've had to put up with a massive attack involving the deaths of some of my people, " Mii Swordfighter answered. "We needed a slight alteration in plans and we need to bring the Mii Fighters to your ship…"

"You mean your band of the toughest warriors needs to be protected?" Flynn laughed over the device. "Give me a break!"

"I think that's enough for now," the Great Sage interrupted over the communicator.

"Hey, wait!" Flynn noted. "I wasn't finished yet-"

"Lend the Mii Swordfighters the device you have right now and we'll bring them back to the Undying Light," the Great Sage answered. "We'll make sure they take care while you continue your mission."

"Thank you," the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn sighed, tossing the communicator to one of the Mii troops.

"You can't ditch us like this!" one Mii Swordfighter objected. "You need our protection as much as we need yours!"

"I understand," the ex-Ultimate Reborn answered. "Just to clarify, the Ancients were wiped out because they were too dependent on their leader, and the Ancient Minister couldn't save them all other than himself. Sorry, but… we depend on your safety. You know how much you wanted me and the other two Ultimates to reflect your past leaders. Our parents. And they would've done the same thing…" The Mii Swordfighter then stood next to Kirby, Piranha Plant, Sheik, Villager, Captain Falcon, Link, Fox, Dr. Mario, Jigglypuff, Little Mac, Wii Fit Trainer, and Inkling, knowing they have got this.

"Good luck," another Mii noted. Just like that, the Mii troops walked off west, leaving their leader behind.

"I'll lead the way," the Middle Fab Fairy replied to the current team. "Thank you so much for rescuing me." Afterwards, the Middle Fab Fairy left the group, and the ongoing team headed up north, back to the Cinnamon Hills, and they were taking the path northeast to a large waterfall, which could be heard from a distance.

* * *

As Galeem began watching through the magical mirror that showed him the World of Light, he had noticed that the two teams had different goals, but the same plan: to weaken his forces and break their way through into the Galeem Void to finish him off. Balder arrived at the base of the seraph's crystal throne, warping in.

"Do I have to repeat myself when I said no entering the Galeem Void until you've defeated all the awakened fighters?" the Seraph of Order asked.

"Of course," Balder answered. "However, before you send me on my way, King Bulbin and his men had uncovered how to make Supporters out of Kirby without the need of his trophy form." Interested, Galeem levitated downward to Balder's eye level.

"…Tell me more," Galeem said.

"Using in what humans call 'DNA technology', we had managed to capture Kirby's full character through analyzing the very ground he steps on," Balder explained. "Everything Kirby breathes on, every skin cell he sheds, down the very flesh of his beating heart, we had captured something that is not Kirby but far more superior and obedient. Though the final result may not be a Primary, it would sure be the perfect cloning machine for an infinite number of Supporters since it alone cannot be defeated through sheer luck in a battle."

"Yes… very well," Galeem noted with a slight chuckle in his voice. "Bring in what you have salvaged immediately." With a flick of his wrists, Balder had simply summoned with his magical powers… a simple wad of clay, only at Kirby's size.

"What is this?" Galeem asked, a tad bit angry that it was not what he was expecting at all.

"This is the DNA we had gathered, all wrapped up in one tight package," Balder said. "All we need is the hands of Tabuu to shape it into the perfect cloning machine…"

"…I see… Well, Balder, thank you for your time." Galeem noted, tugging on Tabuu's Chains of Light. Once Balder walked out, the Construct God floated down to the wad of clay, his glowing-blue hands lifting it into the air. As soon as Tabuu had finished molding the clay into a trophy replica of Kirby standing immobilized, he wrapped it in the blue ropes that bound the petrified fighters. Afterwards, a glowing Buckot began spilling the melted Shadow Bugs over it, constantly cloning the still Supporters. Spirits that were closely related to a round shape flew in an began pulling the puppets' strings.

"Wish we had Kirby before," Galeem chuckled, pulling Tabuu to his side once more by the Chains of Light.

"Now then, my puppets, spread across the world and team up with the Light Puppets," Galeem ordered. "Make sure that the Super Smash Brother's do not stop me." As the darkness seeped into the Galeem Void, the footsteps of the brand-new Kirby Supporters could be heard in the distance, marching off into the world of Gallia.


	47. Pt 47: The World Tour

"Over here!" Faker called out. "I see it!" The amnesiac warrior alerted Mario and the gang about the lake they were supposed to cross over, and the fighters all ran to that location. What they saw was a mesmerizing lake, crystal-clear as the water surface reflected the sunlight. There was no wind, so it was almost like looking at a mirror.

"…This where we going?" Joker asked, pointing to an airport located on an island in the middle of the lake. Mario nodded as an answer, heading to a wooden dock.

Once Faker, Joker, and Mario stood over the edge of the dock, Marth, Snake, Olimar, Mega Man, PAC-MAN, Pichu, Donkey Kong, Duck Hunt, Lucas, and Isabelle crowded over to see the airport. They knew there was a bigger world to get across.

"Here we are," Mario sighed. "All we have to do is get across to the island."

"Yeah… about that…" Snake objected. As the mercenary had noticed, not a single one of the fighters could swim. Even if they did, the water was still freezing-cold, and they were sure to drown before they even got to the airport.

"Any bright ideas?" Marth asked his friends. Each of the fighters looked away from the Hero-King, not knowing what to do. That is, until Joker suddenly remembered something. There was an empty speedboat near the dock, but it seemed like none of them could drive it. The Phantom Thief noticed that back at the abandoned village was Kapp'n from Villager's and Isabelle's world, who was driving the bus.

"Why don't we take a seat in that speedboat?" Joker asked, pointing towards the water vehicle next to the dock. As soon as Joker said that, the Kapp'n Spirit appeared, starting up the speedboat's engine.

"What're y'all scallywags doin' here?" Kapp'n asked. "Hop on for a one-way ticket around the world!" The fighters began crowding onto the boat, and Faker was the last one to find a seat on the boat. The Spirit, seeing that no one was left behind, pulled away from the dock and sailed to the airport.

* * *

At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The misty freshwater splashed on the speedboat's sides, some of the drops landing into the boat. The fighters were partially wet with only their hairs a bit messed from the water, but Isabelle and Duck Hunt were drenched.

"…This is going to stench my uniform!" Isabelle pouted, wringing her skirt. Faker chuckled by that situation and warmed her hands with the Fire Rainbolement. The dragon-clothed warrior dried up the two dogs while also removing their smelly aromas. All of a sudden, when things seemed peaceful, and the group of Smashers were almost at the airport, Mario started remembering something. Joker noticed this drastic change in realization.

"What's the matter?" the Phantom Thief asked.

"Didn't the Werewolf warn us about something before he was supposedly captured?" Mario asked. "When we get to the airport, shouldn't we keep an eye out for-"

LOOK OUT!" Snake exclaimed, pointing to up front of the speedboat. The mercenary instantly saw a large geyser of bubbles erupting in front of the airport island, and everyone had noticed in time. A large, slithering body had quickly emerged from the geyser, causing a rather large wave to splash right in front of the speedboat. The Kapp'n Spirit managed to kill the engines in time, stopping as the large wave crashed upon the fighters. The Smashers saw they were soaking wet, and Isabelle seemed disappointed that this was the second time that happened to her.

"It's the Pokémon we have to worry about!" Marth yelled, pulling out his Falchion. "The legendary Rayquaza!" The lake-dwelling Pokémon unleashed a deafening roar. Grabbing the speedboat, Rayquaza flung all of the passengers onto the shore of the airport island. The fighters quickly jumped out and stood their ground, with the monstrous beast sent out by Galeem to attack them.

"Whatever guns or powers you have, fire at that thing!" Faker yelled, creating electricity through her fingertips. When Rayquaza slithered in front of them, it glared with red eyes before charging up an electrical ball. Mario, Donkey Kong, Lucas, and Snake ran to its tail and began attacking, knowing the tail is it's entire body. Not noticing the four Smashers were hitting it, Rayquaza unleashed it's fully-charged electrical ball at the rest of the gang. Faker zipped out in time before attacking with fireballs, Olimar, Mega Man, and Duck Hunt got hit, and Joker quickly grabbed Isabelle and Pichu in his arms before hopping out of the way. The Phantom Thief quickly let go of the two adorable fighters as soon as they got behind, and they began lashing out at the Pokémon's back.

Rayquaza apparently knew what was happening and quickly flew towards Duck Hunt, Mega Man, and Olimar, whipping out its tail to attack. The Hocotate captain threw his Pikmin, which stuck to the Pokémon's iron-tough skin, while Duck Hunt and Mega Man began spamming projectiles. With another deafening roar, the legendary Rayquaza sparked electricity throughout its body, killing off Olimar's Pikmin. As soon as the fighters saw the Pokémon taking off into the sky, coated in lighting bolts and the multicolored ghosts of Pikmin, they knew they had to get ready for what happened next.

Each of the Smashers began dodging the currents of air sparked with lightning, trying to avoid getting hit as the Pokémon began spinning circles around them. It seemed as though Rayquaza would not stop getting tired flying around, but the Smashers definitely were. Being one of the fighters that was exhausted, Joker quickly turned to Faker. The Phantom Thief quickly grabbed ahold of Pichu and gave it to the amnesiac dragon warrior.

"You two quickly jump onto that creature's back!" Joker exclaimed, keeping his head low from the Pokémon's attacks. "Drive that thing back into the lake!"

"Are you crazy!?" Faker asked, with Pichu cuddled in her arms. Joker placed a hand on Faker's shoulder, pulling off his mask. Blue flames burned on his face as a figure formed behind him again.

"Arsene! Now!" Joker yelled.

"With pleasure," Arsene answered calmly, grabbing Faker and Pichu in his wide, arm-like appendages. The main Persona of the Phantom Thief aimed and tossed the two beings onto Rayquaza's back. Trying to handle the pain that the Pokémon was creating, both Faker and Pichu latched onto its skin as the legendary creature dived down upon the crowded group of fighters on the ground.

Once Faker and Pichu used their thunder-related powers, Rayquaza's own powers started going out of control as the two fighters dragged it higher into the air. Trying to both scratch Faker and Pichu off with its small arms and long tail, Rayquaza was unsuccessful as it had lost momentum in its body. Once the electricity reached a breaking point, the Pokémon dived back into the lake, unaware of Faker and Pichu still holding on. As soon as Rayquaza's made contact with the water, the two fighters quickly jumped off, landing in front of their team members scorched in black. The group then saw the lake sparking with bolts of lightning. After the sudden burst of electricity distributed throughout the water, a few fish floated onto the water's surface, immobilized. Rayquaza's body also floated to the surface, its eyes open and its mouth agape, instantly confirming the Pokémon was presumed dead.

Exhausted from the intense fight, the team members walked towards the Ace-Spirit Kapp'n, who was next to the wreckage of the speedboat they travelled in.

"If yer askin' if yer sorry, then I forgive ye," Kapp'n answered. "I can always fix this precious treasure when we get back. Until then, howsabout I show ye the plane we be takin'?"

"Dude, you insane?" Joker asked. "We can't simply take planes unless we work here."

"Don't ye landlubbers worry," Kapp'n spoke in his stereotypical sailor accent. "This place has been abandoned for as long as anyone can remember. I can pilot ye all around the world in just a few days."

"…Okay?" Snake asked. The Smashers followed the Spirit into the airport, heading out onto the landing dock to look for the first plane they see. After finding an airplane, Faker created a stairway out of the concrete on the walkway, providing a way into the plane for the fighters. After everyone took their seats in first class, Kapp'n went up to the plane's cockpit, with Faker serving as captain.

"I… don't know how this works," Faker asked the Spirit, nervous as she slipped on her headset.

"We're all nervous the first time, maiden with a mermaid's beauty," Kapp'n noted, flicking some of the switches on. "All ye have to do is keep an eye on the sky and help navigate to our destination." A monochrome map appeared on a small screen on the control panel. However, it seemed like the plane had a mind of its own and instantly alerted an unchanged destination.

"Attention, Smashers," Faker spoke over the plane's speakers. "It looks like our next destination's at… Beijing, China. Please keep your seatbelts nice and tight, avoid smoking on board, and… is that it? I'm confused, regardless. Anyway, we'll be taking off, so until then I'm asking all of you to have a nice trip. And hopefully not die from Galeem's forces." Each of the fighters buckled their seatbelts, preparing for liftoff.

Through careful examination, Kapp'n and Faker made sure that all systems are go before taking off. Once the plane had achieved departing from the airport island, the plane's systems were somehow rigged so that only to where they were traveling was another destination, almost as if another pilot was at the cockpit. Either way, the flight seemed relaxing as the fighters were high in the sky, waiting to see the world of Gallia, which was somehow similar to the current planet we know today as Earth.

* * *

Hours had passed, and the sun was setting over the sky. Donkey Kong, Lucas, Olimar, PAC-MAN, and Duck Hunt fell fast asleep in their seats while Mario, Marth, Mega Man, and Joker were still up. The Phantom Thief peered close to the window, letting Pichu and Isabelle doze off in his arms. They had been like this for a while now, and the rest of the fighters that were about to fall asleep were suddenly alerted by Kapp'n and Faker. The Smashers slowly stirred up, ready to hear an announcement from the Spirit.

"Attention, folks," Faker spoke. "We're arriving at Beijing, China. Don't know why, but we're here anyway. Please stay seated until we land… or something like that…" The Smashers looked out of their windows, looking above the Great Wall of China. As though it still had a mind of its own, the plane dived down for landing inside this strange land, even though there was no road to park. Try as he may, Kapp'n could do nothing to stop the peculiar landing. It seemed as though the trees could not scrape the hull pf the plane as it simply touched the ground as though it was a smooth landing.

The fighters quickly got out of the plane, walking through the strange forest of Beijing, China. As they looked around, they saw mountainous landscapes in the distance, along with maidens clothed in traditional rain outfits to harvest the rice from the fields. The maidens were all blue-colored Spirits, earning them a spot in Novice class.

"Are… we supposed to be here?" Joker asked.

"If we need to at least draw Galeem's forces back into the origin spot in the World of Light, then probably yes," Mario answered. "Everyone stay with-a me and don't lose focus."

"What about Faker and that Kapp'n Spirit?" Snake asked.

"I think they preferred to stay behind while we go and do our job," Isabelle answered. "Now enough talking! Let's get going!" The cute dog walked off, ready to find these opponents that would possibly meet them here due to the change of events unnoticed by Galeem's all-seeing eyes. However, before the fighters took another step, a large stone about Kirby's size landed right in front of them. After they were shocked, the Stone quickly reformed, revealing it to be a blue-colored Kirby Supporter. Isabelle was also terrified by this drastic change in events and quickly turned around to see this puppet fighter in the center of the gang. A dark-blue dressed Zero Suit Samus Supporter hopped alongside the Kirby Supporter, and each of the Smashers suddenly heard rustling from the trees.

Hopping down from the branches were troops of Light Puppets: clones of the fighters that Galeem had captured, made out of purely-concentrated light to form servants that mimic each fighter. Each one of those puppets was light-blue with white auras and red eyes. Hopping in front of the Kirby Supporter was a Zero Suit Samus Supporter, dressed in a dark blue and waving her legs in front of her body.

"Hope this plan works, otherwise we've traveled here for nothing," Joker noted, firing away at his pistol. Each Light Puppet, when seeing that few of their kind were shot down, began charging at the group of fighters. Olimar, Donkey Kong, PAC-MAN, Snake, Mega Man, Marth, Lucas, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, and Pichu began targeting the Light Puppets, while Mario and Joker went against the Supporters. With their special quirks, the Smashers hacked through each Light Puppet, each one noticing those clones were as weak as the Fighting Mii Team.

"…What's the plan again!? I've lost track due to all these fighters attacking!" Joker asked, grasping the Zero Suit Samus Supporter's legs and twisting them, making her cry in pain in a voice similar to the bounty Hunter.

"We have to defeat these puppets to draw them into the island we came from!" Mario answered, grabbing and throwing the blue Kirby Supporter. "After every location we appear in, we must defeat the main Supporters and chase the Light Puppets around the world until we get them back to the main area in Gallia."

"You really think so?" Joker questioned, kneeing the Zero Suit Samus Supporter in her crotch.

"Don't ask me what I think!" Mario resounded, setting his hands on fire and knocking out the Kirby Supporter. "The Werewolf didn't explain the plan very well so I just came up with my own conclusions!"

"Thanks a lot for not thinking thoroughly, asshole!" Joker growled, shooting the Zero Suit Samus Supporter in the head with his pistol. "We get to a strange location similar to Beijing, China, and only now you come up with this 'brilliant' plan!?"

"Mario! Joker!" Marth interrupted, running towards the two fighters. "Looks like Mr. Video Game himself might be right with his plan after all. See the outnumbered Light Puppets? They're fleeing…" The Hero King pointed towards the light clones, observing how they were starting to compress into nothing more than beams of light and leave the surrounding area. The Supporters that we're killed before turned into Shadow Bugs, with the Spirit inhabiting the Kirby one being a Novice Pianta from Delfino Island and the Zero Suit Samus one being an Ace Chun-Li. Both of the Spirits flew away from the location.

"Oh, of course," Joker sighed with a sarcastic tone. As soon as their fight was over, the airplane they were next to started flickering its headlights. Faker began waving her hand through the window, ready to take the plane off the ground. Once the Smashers got inside, Joker say next to Mario, taking the left window seat.

"…Mario?" Joker asked. "Sorry for calling you an asshole before. It's just we came here unprepared until now…"

"It's okay," Mario answered. "It's-a hard knowing what to do in a world that wants to kill you." Once the plane took off the forest ground, it began to fly to its next destination.

"Joker?" Mario continued with a question. "I'm worried about what might have happened to Kirby since that was a pure-bred Supporter we faced, Spirit and all. Do you think the Lord of Light may have captured the pink puffball?"

"Galeem hasn't caught me or the members of my little band of survivors yet," Joker responded. "It's hard to know since he is a master of tricks. He would do anything to keep his world perfect."

"Attention. This is Faker speaking," Faker spoke through the plane's speakers. "Our next stop's at… Rio de Jenario, Brazil… did I pronounce that right, Kapp'n? Anyway, that place is also where those Light Puppets fled to. We better be careful there since there could be more of Galeem's army troops gathered up at the same location…"

* * *

As the sun began to set, the plane flew over the famous Christ the Redeemer statue as the crew arrived at the capital of Brazil: Rio de Jenario. There was a landing pad at the local airport, but the plane itself seemed to have decided to park in the jungle next to the city to avoid being towed away for unlicensed parking. As the fighters looked into the distance, they each saw a fire in the middle of Rio de Jenario. Knowing this could only be the work of Galeem's army, the team had decided to investigate.

Once they had arrived into the heart of the city, the Smashers saw more of the Light Puppets, including those that they chased off before, accompanied by a black-colored Kirby Supporter and a green Donkey Kong, who was equipped with a Screw Attack. The troops were causing havoc and jamming up traffic, terrorizing the civilian Spirits that were simply minding their own business. The Smash Brothers approached their enemies, ready to attack.

While the fighters started attacking the rivals that clearly were weaker in quality than quantity, Joker helped Isabelle and Pichu back away the civilians. The Kirby Supporter swung his hammer around and the Donkey Kong Supporter jumped in the air and used the Screw Attack ability, but they were both overpowered by the small number of rescued fighters. The battle only took a few minutes, and there was nothing but the desolation of the street left behind by Galeem's troops. The Light Puppets retreated away from Brazil, and the Spirits of King Bob-omb and Blanka, who was from Ryu's and Ken's world, left the location.

"Okay, people," Joker warned. "There's nothing to see here. Head on home…" The fighters then went back to the airplane, flying to Moscow, Russia.

* * *

It was night when the Smashers arrived in that side of Europe, and there was a heavens snow shower to top the windy weather off too. This peaceful block of museums and theaters in the middle of winter, according to the current timeline, was being mutilated by more Light Puppets, some of them feeling more cowardly when the Smashers approached them. An Incineroar Supporter possessed by Zangief, who was coated white with tints of red, was leading the raid, ready to use his strong throws on the fighters ready to battle. The fight also didn't take long, since both the Zangief Spirit was freed from his Supporter prison and more Light Puppets had retreated from Moscow.

* * *

The Smashers' next location was at San Francisco, California. The morning sun rose over a shining river, gleaming on the Golden Gate Bridge. Just like before, there was a massacre on the bridge's road caused by a larger number of Light Puppets. They were all crowded at one location, and they were led by a Little Mac Supporter dressed in yellow. The Spirit possessing the puppet fighter was Balrog from Ryu's and Ken's world. Clogging the bridge with overturned cars with Novice-class Spirits of humans still trapped inside them, the army sent by Galeem was creating a mess of things… until the Smashers took matter into their own hands once more.

* * *

Another location in the world of Gallia was saved thanks to the fighters, and they proceeded to travel to Portugal, Spain. There was a seaside city made out of stone, and there were stores and flea markets sabotaged by a bigger army of Light Puppets, which was becoming more difficult to fight against as their numbers grew. Leading the attacks was a Meta Knight Supporter cloaked in black with a dark red cape, possessed by the Spirit of Vega. The Smashers arrived however and went through a longer battle than the previous ones, though they emerged victoriously once more.

* * *

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, was a sight to behold. There was buildings and skyscrapers decorated like a blanket of stars, shining as far as the eye can see. There was also a small number of flaming towers that disrupted the scenery, caused by a humongous number of Light Puppets. They were all led this time by Sagat, who was inside the body of a light blue-clothed Ryu Supporter. When the Smashers arrived to take care of this once more, the results were obvious to earn the rescued fighters a victory. The surviving Light Puppets fled, and the airplane the Smashers Brothers had traveled in promised them one more location before they would finally force all the Light Puppets in the world to retreat back to the island the fighters woke up in.

* * *

The sun was setting over Tokyo, Japan. Semi-futuristic vehicles and robots stopped dead in their tracks, and more Novice-class civilian Spirits fled by a marching army of Light Puppets, all gathered up in a massive number. This time, they were all led by a Primary, being none other than Ryu himself. Once the Smashers arrived to stop the army from spreading terror on these streets, the Ryu Primary, with hand signatures, commanded the Light Puppets to surround the fighters. The captured fighter then had the puppets lower their weapons as he already approached the Smashers.

"You will regret the day you came across M. Bison and his troops," M. Bison's voice spoke from Ryu's body. As a matter of fact, he was the Master Legendary Spirit possessing the white-clothed martial artist. The Ryu Primary then noticed Joker in the small group of fighters. The captured warrior approached the Phantom Thief and grabbed his face.

"You're not from around here, are you?" the Ryu Primary asked, watching Joker squirm in his clutch. "A peculiar specimen. Nothing more than a chickened-out kid…"

"I… am not a chickened-out kid!" Joker snapped, pulling out his dagger and slashing across the Ryu Primary's face. The captured fighter quickly clenched his face in pain while the Phantom Thief rubbed his own cheekbones from the aching feeling of his face grasped so tightly.

"You shouldn't have done that, Joker!" Marth explained. "According to some of our friends, M. Bison was one of the leaders of the Subspace Army, and he'll get really pissed if anyone thinks they can approach him…" The Ryu Primary rubbed the blood off his face, quickly grabbing ahold of Joker by the neck.

"Kill them all," the captured fighter snarled. The Light Puppets quickly raised their weapons and closed in on the other Smashers while both the Ryu Primary and Joker went through a vortex and traveled to a different location.

* * *

Joker started feeling the ground itself was almost wooden, with the sky glowing a hazy red. There was some sort of ancient castle dojo in the background. As the Phantom Thief was slowly getting up, he felt his face starting to be crushed by the barren foot from the Ryu Primary he was facing.

"So you're one of the few survivors of Galeem's blast," M. Bison's voice growled through Ryu's body. "You're a lucky kid. I couldn't even avoid that bitch of a seraph." The Ryu Primary then stepped off of Joker's face and took in the power of the Final Destination version of Suzaku Castle, spawning a red cape behind his back. Floating in midair, the transformed Ryu Primary looked down upon Joker with glowing-red eyes and flaming-black fists, diving down towards the Phantom Thief. The Primary unleashed a fiery Hadoken, which traveled along the ground. Joker quickly jumped off the ground and pulled off his mask, unleashing Arsene once more. The Phantom Thief quickly jumped onto the Ryu Primary's back, slashing his face with his dagger while avoiding getting clawed by the captured fighter's tough hands.

* * *

Back in the city of Tokyo, Mario and his crew began fighting the Light Puppets. Olimar, PAC-MAN, Marth, Lucas, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, Pichu, Donkey Kong, Mega Man, and Snake protected Mario while they threw out their special attacks and abilities. Though the Light Puppets themselves were easier to launch than the Mii Fighters or Supporters, they were stronger in strength since there were so many. The Light Puppets began surrounding the fighters, closing in slowly. Suddenly, when the Light Puppets least expected it, some of them were being snagged by vines protruding from the ground and being swung around. Giant flytraps started growing at the buds of the vines, engulfing and devouring the swarms of Galeem's minions. Faker jumped in front of her friends, with green lights flowing from her fingertips. It was pretty obvious she was the one controlling the plants.

"Faker?" Marth asked.

"Yeah, clearly I have plant powers too!" Faker noted. "Pretty cool, huh?" The amnesiac warrior began summoning more plants against the Light Puppets, knocking a good number of them out. The rest of the team joined by her side too, kicking butt again and reducing the drastic number of thousands of Light Puppets to only a few hundred.

When the remaining Light Puppets saw they did not have a match against the Smash Brothers, they all easily surrendered. Even though the Light Puppets themselves could not speak, the Smashers already knew their enemies had no choice but to retreat back to the mystical island they all came from, and where the rest of the Smashers' friends are supposedly trapped. Disintegrating into beams of light, the puppets took off into the sky and went back.

A vortex appeared behind the group of fighters, and Joker emerged with a knocked-out Ryu in his arms. The Master Legendary M. Bison Spirit that had possessed the martial artist before appeared behind the Phantom Thief, coated in the white-misty fragments of the Galeem Lock.

"I must say you bested me, kid," M. Bison's Spirit told Joker. "If I ever get my body back, it's going to be your head on my dining plate." Just like that, the Spirit departed in the same direction as the Light Puppets. Thus, the world was cleared from Galeem's spreading armies… or at least most of anyway. Now that the fighters were done traveling around the world of Gallia, it was time to head back to the main island that they all came from.

* * *

Night arrived on the main island, and the crew was sailing back on Kapp'n's boat to the other side of the lake. Once the Smashers got off, Ryu slowly started waking up on the dirt road underneath the moonlight.

"Where… where am I?" Ryu asked, sitting up.

"It's okay," Joker replied. "I rescued you, meaning you're safe. Basically, we had to travel the world in order to stop Galeem's armies from spreading and draw them all back here…" While the Phantom Thief was talking, Faker had just started setting up a tent made out of leaves big enough for the gang to sleep in. Once the fighters crawled in for a good night's rest, Mario felt rather curious about Joker's power.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, Joker," the red plumber said. "Lately, when you go off to rescue out friends, we never see the way you fight, outside of your knife, pistol, and Arsene Persona. Do you think you can show us sometime?"

"In time, buddy," Joker answered as he rubbed Mario's cap, crawling into the tent made out of leaves.


	48. Pt 48: Closer Understanding

Morning rose again, and the other side of the Cinnamon Hills were not as much different when Kirby's team visited it again, but each one of the Smashers knew they needed to stick to the plan that was set for them. Kirby, Piranha Plant, Villager, Sheik, Captain Falcon, Mii Swordfighter, Link, Dr. Mario, Fox, Inkling, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, and Jigglypuff headed east to where they can hear a nearby waterfall, and they did not have the need to travel with an army of Miis, for even though the numbers were increased drastically, they have a higher chance of becoming easier targets for Galeem.

"We're almost near the waterfall," Fox McCloud noted, patting the reflecting shine on the left side of his belt. "From point A to point B would be dangerous, so best be prepared."

"Obviously," Link replied. "Even though we're outnumbered and we had to get rid of the Mii Swordfighter army for a while, it was worth it. The ex-Ultimate Reborn we have so far was right. He's not going to risk everything for his species to be wiped out…"

"Look over here!" Little Mac exclaimed. Waving his boxing gloves, the tiny boxer signaled his friends to what he saw. On top of a sweet, sugary pastry hill connected through intersecting ribbon bridges, the green Yoshi most of the team had been friends with for ten years was sleeping, blocking the road. There was the white aura of the Galeem Lock emitted from the cuddly dinosaur, and the group knew Yoshi was still under Galeem's power.

As though he had sensed the group creeping towards him, the Yoshi Primary instantly woke up and stared at the Smashers with glowing-red irises. Standing upright, the captured fighter began drooling as the symbol of the Master Legendary Spirit flashed on Yoshi's belly – the Queen Metroid. More Shadow Bugs began appearing aside the Yoshi Primary's side, each one forming into Trowlons, Borborases, Spaaks, and Roaders.

"I've got the Yoshi Primary," Link told his friends. "You all attack the Subspace troops." The Champion of Hyrule dashed towards the drooling captured fighter, swinging the Master Sword once as soon as the Yoshi Primary head-butted as an attack and connected with the strong blade. Another vortex appeared between the two opponents, and they had both vanished.

The Subspace creatures started attacking, and each individual fighter used the best of their abilities to fight back: Kirby swinging his hammer and punching ferociously, Dr. Mario throwing his pills, Sheik disappearing and reappearing from clouds of dust as she ambushed her enemies, Fox shooting his blaster and zipping in streaks of blue, Jigglypuff rolling and laying the Rest move on the creatures, Captain Falcon setting his fists on fire and punching each Borboras and Roaders he saw, Villager hopping on each Trowlon and sending out Lloid Rockets to knock out the Spaaks, Wii Fit Trainer using her yoga poses to strike the Subspace creatures, Little Mac punching rapidly, Piranha Plant snapping and devouring with his teeth, Inkling tossing her bombs that exploded into orange color, and Mii Swordfighter unleashing slashing tornados.

One by one, each Roader, Borboras, Spaak, and Trowlon dropped dead like flies and disintegrated into Shadow Bugs. The creatures then retreated away from the Cinnamon Hills. Just at that time, Link reappeared with a rescued Yoshi fast-asleep in his arms. The Master Legendary Queen Metroid that had possessed the green dinosaur also appeared alongside them with the white mist of the broken Galeem Lock.

Each of the Smashers saw both the Spirit and the mist enter Kirby's body, triggering another vision again. As the pink puffball fell stiff as a board with glowing-white eyes, the Inkling managed to catch him in time. The orange squid girl cuddled the paralyzed alien in her arms, hoping Kirby was at least safe as they continued their mission.

"…What do we do now that Yoshi's out of the way?" Fox asked. Yoshi was starting to wake up inside Link's arms, and he quickly jumped off the Champion of Hyrule, knowing he was rescued by Galeem's slavery.

"Maybe travel on the wall's pathway east to the waterfall?" the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn asked.

"Yep," Captain Falcon answered. The gang then started walking towards the castle, with Kirby seeing another memory from the past. As the pink puffball woke up, he found himself back on the planet of Yangkatzu, where the Dragosmos would get the abilities of the Life Rainbolement. Kirby, who had the rainbow aura, golden irises, and the Smash Ball that was attached to his head, saw Sozo and Hakai, not even looking a different age as when they had last left to travel the stars, were leading the now-older Dragosmos back to the Sky Temple Training Arena.

* * *

Now, each of the dragon students aged very fast, and they had certainly matured well, including Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix. There was also a small group of plant-coated wyverns, all led by their Minister, who had scales as soft as birch and the colors to match the bark too, and he had the Life Emerald hanging on his neck. Ultima, who stayed behind with the wyverns for a while, watched as her two brothers became more resentful over the months that seemed to pass.

"You worry about your brothers, do you not…?" the Minister of the Wyverns asked.

"I feel like they may be doing something wrong here," Ultima answered in a defeated sigh, with her voice now sounding exactly like Faker's. "One brother is drawing attention to himself because he looks like some 'prophet', the other is envious of the former's well-being…" The black-coated dragon with rainbow-spectrum wings looked down on the solid, tangled branches that served as ground on this planet, a small tear dripping from her eye. When the Minister noticed her feeling a little blue, Ultima quickly noticed and wiped away her eye.

"A bug flew into my face," Ultima fibbed with a false smile on her face. The Minister of the Wyverns slowly approached her and tried to comfort the conflicted dragon.

"You are a brave young lady, and your lies cannot hide the troubles your brothers are going through," the Minister advised. "Even though I cannot break up their internal struggles, I have heard of someone that might assist you. When you meet up with the Keeper of the Magic Rainbolement, she will tell you of where this conflict would lead between Galeem and Phoenix should it continue. Until then, I advise you to avoid making contact with your brothers. This is their battle and their battle alone, and I doubt they would let you get caught in the middle of it…" Ultima looked down and nodded slowly, walking back to the Sky Temple Training Arena. As soon as the stadium's engines started, Kirby quickly walked through the walls to get on before it took off into the skies.

"Where were you?" Medley asked Ultima at the entrance. The golden dragon was accompanied by her sister Katzen, and they had noticed Ultima was gone for a rather long while.

"It's… it's nothing…" Ultima answered, watching Yangkatzu getting smaller in the depths of space as the stadium traveled through hyper drive.

"…I'm going to my room," Ultima sighed. The Dragosmo walked to her room, hearing her two brothers chatting behind the room's door. She noticed, as she pressed her head to the door, that Galeem and Phoenix seemed calmer than before. Maybe it was the amount of time and over-practicing with their individual teachers alone that caused them to behave a little better, but it was unknown for sure.

"And then there was this other dragon that REALLY wanted to do it, and I was like, 'No way, missy! I've already got the love of my life, and her name is Medley, but I'd like to be just your friend if you like'," Galeem told his brother with a bit of laughter in his voice, which sounded barely similar to the Galeem Kirby and his friends were going to face.

"…Wow, Galeem," Phoenix renowned in a slightly deeper voice than before. "You sure do spend a lot of time with literally every Dragosmo in the arena. I apologize for being jealous of you… but I must ask: how do you make all these friends?" Ultima slowly nudged the door open with her head and quietly walked in, finally glad that her brothers were getting along.

"…Phoenix, it's not so much as of the looks, though that would explain why I was popular in the first place," Galeem explained, placing one of his front paws on Phoenix's shoulder. "All you have to do is tell wild stories to grasp the attention of any creature that believes in a free will… just stories about how your beliefs are good and tell them how they should live their lifestyle…"

"That would be… creating a cult, would it not?" Phoenix asked.

"Kinda," Galeem answered as he did a so-so gesture with his other front paw, "but it's basically the way of the light, and the way of the light is to restore perfection and drive away the darkness that plagues our souls… if you've got a bit of that light left within you…" Galeem then stopped talking to see Ultima standing near the door's frame. Phoenix noticed their sister was here as well.

"Uh, how much have you heard?" Galeem asked.

"…Plenty," Ultima said as she made a face-palm gesture. "I have to go." Ultima then walked away from the room, leaving Galeem and Phoenix alone. The spectrum-winged dragon glided towards the central stage of the Sky Temple Training Arena, sitting near the edge of the ledge. She looked up at the stars beyond the blue barrier that seemed to flash before the stadium itself, and she watched as each room had the lights dim and each Dragosmo fall asleep for the night. Ultima then looked down from the edge of the stage she was lying on, staring deep into the dark cavern. There was the unidentified matter below the stage, gathered at the bottom of the stadium.

… _At least everything turned out fine for now,_ Ultima thought as she looked up at the cosmos passing by. At the end, the spectrum-winged dragon, using only her front claw, created a little barrier around herself with the Earth Rainbolements in case she was to fall off while she was asleep. Ultima then made herself, with her soft breath, a comfortable bed of leaves with her newly-founded Life Rainbolements. Afterwards, she fell asleep. Kirby floated towards the sleeping dragon like a ghost, his rainbow-aura glow illuminating the stage by which only he can see it.

For whatever reason, Kirby felt his heart beating fast, and he saw the expression on the resting dragon change. The pink puffball seemed to almost pass out because the pain was so great, but it turned out he was getting sucked into Ultima's supposed nightmare.

* * *

What Kirby saw was an area of pitch-blackness, but the stars and planets remained in the sky. Ultima was standing on the surface of a rogue asteroid, which stretched only a few multiple times her wingspan on both sides. She behaved as though she was a spectator glued to the rough ground. There, she saw a being of radiant light, concealing its true form for the moment. In front of this strange being was a woman. A woman larger than two Earths stacked on top of each other, though she seemed to probably have gotten bigger.

This woman was the most beautiful ever, having the appearance of a human mother. She was covered in a garment of white, and her golden hair reflected the lights of the stars. However, it seemed as though her angelic face started crying some sort of lavender-colored mesh from her gleaming-blue eyes. She hung her head low in shame and betrayal, her arms folded across her chest.

"You still care for them, don't You?" the woman asked, the mesh dripping from the sides of her cheeks before they floated off.

"Eternia, please," the being bathed in radiant light spoke in a deep, elderly man's voice. "They love us with all their hearts, and we have to give them a chance."

"All these years, and You still think they are trustworthy…?" Eternia asked. "Ha! Those infuriating savages do not know the meaning of trust!"

"Enough, Eternia," the being objected. "I will save them from their sins. Do not let the insanity taketh over thou!"

"…You have no idea who You are talking to," Eternia growled, her hair turning a dim gray and her face now showing flashing-red eyes and dark circles, and more of the purple goo streamed from her face like tears.

"So be it," the unidentified being responded. As Ultima and Kirby watched, they noticed the streams of goo dripping from the insane goddess's face, her hoarse laughter shaking the roof of the stars. As though it had a will of its own, the lavender goo took shape and form in appearances of angels, and each of these strange beings were covered in several different eyes all over their slimy bodies. Even though the spectrum-winged dragoness and the pink puffball had no idea what was going on, they somehow felt like they were actually in the moment.

"Insanitons! Attack!" Eternia cried, sending her army of those goo minions against the radiant being with a single point. Without warning, a supernova-like explosion appeared where this strange being once appeared, seemingly coating the entire vastness of space. Just when the explosion reached the asteroid Ultima and Kirby were standing on, the black-coated dragoness with spectrum wings quickly woke up. Kirby found himself on top of one of the stage's three platforms, watching Ultima sit in place as she breathed hard and sweat dripped from her scaly body. Her heart was pounding ferociously in her chest, knowing this was one nightmare she would probably be traumatized for life.

And somehow… the nightmare was interesting.

* * *

Ultima restored the area she was sleeping in to its original state, noticing the sky itself was a baby-blue, mixed with swirls of clouds. She then felt that the stadium's rocket engines seemed to have stopped, and there were clamors of the other Dragosmos waiting to go outside. Ultima quickly rushed towards the entrance, waiting for Sozo and Hakai to open the doors.

"Our next stop… Kukikaze, home of the Air Topaz," Hakai alerted the students. After the two dragons pushed the doors open with their horns, the near-Dragosmos saw where they would be spending the next year and several months. The sky stretched out far and open, and there would be nothing but dense, compressed air if you decided to dive deeper into the clouds. The opaque vapors themselves were as solid as actual ground, and the winds that blew were fresh and pure. The Wind Amphitheres, similar to the Plant Wyverns, were based off their home Rainbolement, with many of these creatures having their textures designed by the different types of weather. There were sky islands serving as the only terrain for the gas planet, suspended in midair by the magic of the Air Topaz, which had tiny hurricanes on top and on bottom of the gemstone and was found on the largest sky island.

Once the Dragosmos carefully stepped onto the soft clouds, the amphitheres slithered to the dragons' eye levels since the winged serpents themselves were much larger.

"Shigi nu taz ne wiz quot pas (Welcome to our home)," the lead amphithere, sporting near-transparent feathers on her serpentine body and having fog as her wings.

"Tic sha fwu sor tu Princess Tornado (The students may address me as Princess Tornado)," the winged serpent continued.

"Thank you for accepting us into your hospitality," Sozo greeted, "and I suppose your species is still learning the common language."

"Of course we still are," Princess Tornado responded. "I see the Dragosmos have learned of the Life Rainbolement and we're taught the discipline of course, where they would stand brave amongst incoming danger."

"That's correct," Sozo continued. "Now we are here to accept your powers of the Air Topaz and be taught the moral of loyalty, where we stay faithful to our allegiance."

"Wis sods (Of course)," the amphithere answered. "Any welcome guest to Kukikaze can let the powers of the Air Rainbolement into their souls as long as they are trustworthy friends of our closest allies…" Kirby kept watching the Dragosmos head off to accept the powers of the Air Topaz, ready to learn more about Galeem's mysterious past.

* * *

While Kirby remained paralyzed, his friends managed to travel along the main stone wall's path all the way to the waterfall. As they looked straight east, they saw the light fissure glowing bright and hot.

"Aw man," the Mii Swordfighter sighed. "Really wish Mario and his team were here right now so we can cross over there…"

"And how are we gonna do that, ex-Ultimate?" Fox objected, lightly slapping the back of the Mii's head. "That gap is humongous for us to cross…" The Inkling, who was still carrying the paralyzed Kirby, suddenly noticed a blue crystal on a tiny chunk of rock in the middle of the large river connected to the waterfall. She began chirping in her own language, pointing with her empty hand and alerting her friends about the blue crystal.

"I think Clementine noticed something," Little Mac told the group. Why don't we head over to where she was pointing and find out?" Before any of the fighters took another step, a familiar friend under Galeem's control tried to stop them. It was in fact Lucario, one of the many Pokémon that traveled with the full gang on their journey.

"And just who do you think you are possessing our friend?" the Wii Fit Trainer asked. The Spirit behind Lucario's possession was Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon. The Lucario Primary began growling in a deep voice, attempting to choose one Smasher to draw into the realm of the Final Destination. The captured fighter eventually chose Piranha Plant and dragged the carnivorous flower to himself.

The Piranha Plant quickly stretched its stem and wrapped himself around the Lucario Primary, attempting to strangle the captured fighter to death before the both of them were sucked into a vortex. Once both warriors vanished, there was nothing but the rushing of the waterfalls.

"…So… there's no enemies to fight," Sheik noted. "What do we do now?"

"I suppose we wait until Piranha Plant managed to rescue Lucario," Link answered, taking his turn to hold a still-paralyzed Kirby. "Shouldn't take long… It's quite peaceful, actually…" For the next few minutes, the gang all sat down on the edge of the wall's path.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Piranha Plant had his leaves full on fighting the Lucario Primary at the Final Destination version of Spear Pillar, who used his aura abilities the more damage he received. The carnivorous flower began blowing spiky balls off the ledge, trying to gimp the captured fighter off-stage. However, the Lucario Primary kept using Extreme Speed and kept dodging the spike balls. Eventually, once the Piranha Plant saw the captured fighter ready to be knocked out, he began charging up his poisonous spit, avoiding a ledge attack from the Lucario Primary at the same time. The carnivorous flower managed to create a prison cloud that blinded the Lucario Primary's vision. Afterwards, Piranha Plant transformed into a black Piranha Plant with red spikes and swung once, instantly winning the battle.

Once the Shadow Bugs dissolved the background, Piranha Plant was left holding a Spirit Sniper at the Lucario Primary, who was protected by a barrier in the form of a roulette. With one careful shot, the carnivorous flower instantly transferred Lucario's Fighter Spirit back to his body and freed him from the Galeem Lock.

* * *

The same vortex appeared again at the wall's path, followed by a glowing-white light this time as before. The other Smashers, excluding Kirby, saw that Piranha Plant carefully held in his jaws a knocked-out Lucario. Captain Falcon rushed over to pick up the waking Pokémon.

"Uh… where am I?" Lucario asked, placing his palm on his forehead and jumping out of Captain Falcon's arms.

"You're in Gallia, the World of Light, where we're all trapped in," Fox answered. The Aura Pokémon noticed Kirby still in his vision state, simply sitting there with his adorable mouth closed and his big eyes still shining white.

"…Any idea what happened to him?" Lucario asked.

"It's only temporary," the Mii Swordfighter alerted Lucario. "Basically, Kirby has a vision that we can never find out every time we rescue a fighter from the Lock, and… this is the result…"

* * *

Inside Kirby's mind, the pink puffball was still on Kukikaze, though it looked like time had passed. Almost two years, to be precise. The ten years the young dragons would be training to be defenders of Arcus were almost up, and there were a few years left. Some of the dragons were starting to feel homesick after traveling to so many planets in Arcus' solar system.

The Sky Temple Training Arena was just ready to depart, and groups of amphitheres were cheering their goodbyes. Kirby noticed the stadium leaving and quickly walked through its walls. The pink puffball looked around, noticing that each Dragosmo was becoming more social as they had become fully-grown adults. Even when the ship traveled through warp speed to its next destination, the dragons were still chatting. Kirby even managed to hear two of all the dragons in the stadium talking about how awesome Galeem was.

"Did you see how well Galeem preformed?" one dragon asked his friend. "Turns out none of us could compete with his amazing skills!"

"Boy, am I glad to be his friend," the other dragon laughed.

"Me too!" the former dragon answered. Nonetheless, Kirby managed to travel across the arena to see what else he could find. The pink puffball saw Galeem himself resting in his and his siblings' room with Medley snuggled up close to him. The white-colored dragon outstretched his left wing to cover his golden-snowflake mate a bit.

"…Do you miss home?" Galeem quietly asked. "Arcus, Civiltatula: the City of Dragons, your parents, the usual stuff?"

"Yeah," Medley answered, her voice half-asleep. "I miss all my friends back home, but I'm at least glad I found you. You and the fact that you're popular around here… just the two of us, and none of our siblings to ruin the moment. It's not like we hate them, but it's good to have some space once in a while…"

"I think so too," Galeem whispered, pressing his face close to Medley's. Kirby, rather confused by this romance sparking up between the two dragons, decided to walk away from the room and discover what was going on in the central stage. Ultima was busy with her private lessons with Sozo and Hakai, soaring in the air and using a variety of attacks in her training.

Ultima started creating an electrical barrier around herself, which instantly split into an atom-like structure where she was the nucleus and the fragments were the electrons. However, she was vulnerable to Sozo's and Hakai's fiery breaths. Once Ultima stopped, she noticed her two teachers diving in towards her. She quickly stopped and began teleporting around in flames, using the Thunder Rainbolement to transport her from one location to another and become coated in explosive armor at the same time. Once Sozo and Hakai were stunned by the blasts, Ultima ambushed them by wrapping the two generals in vines and zipping towards them.

"Well done, Ultima," Sozo congratulated. "You have certainly improved on your aiming and accuracy, better than some of our top students even." Ultima, feeling a bit proud of her current goal, unwrapped Sozo and Hakai and released them both onto the stage.

"Thank you so much, generals," Ultima replied while bowing her head. "I really can't wait to train harder once we all are received the Water and Magic Rainbolements."

"You definitely will sometime," Hakai noted, "though our father Ceresor taught us that the Water is symbolic for forgiveness: that we should stop being resentful towards mistakes and keep our emotions in like the calming waves."

"There is also the Magic, which draws in the trust and alliance of your closest friends and companions to accomplish the impossible like the powers that flow within us," Sozo continued.

"I understand," Ultima said. "Thank you for your time." The black-coated, spectrum-winged dragon began to fly off before she heard Sozo say something else.

"By the way, we know about how your brothers behave towards one another," Sozo said. "We've helped them become calmer, so no need to worry. Now head to the front door while we alert the rest of the Dragosmos we have arrived at Mizuku, the home of the Ocean Mogogols and planet of the Water Sapphire." Ultima nodded and departed.

Time had passed, and each of the dragons lined up at the door. Hakai and Sozo walked to the door and used the Air Rainbolements to form transparent skins around themselves, which served as air preservers for the events yet to come.

"We highly recommend you all do the same," Sozo alerted the students, and each one used their powers to create their own air skins. The two generals then pressed their front paws to the stadium's doors, using their already-learned Rainbolement to create a bubble pocket outside. The doors opened, and each of the dragons flew out into this large planet ocean while their teachers kept the water out from flowing into the arena. Once each Dragosmos was out, Sozo and Hakai went outside the stadium and formed a large barrier around the arena from the preexisting bubble before meeting up with their students.

Outside the stadium was a huge world of blue, packed with both colossal and tiny sea creatures. Coral and algae reefs stretched out far and wide, and underwater volcanos spewed out warm temperatures to keep the sea life flourishing. There was a human-sized frog fully-dressed in swim clothing, catching fish in its net to dine on.

"Is that an Ocean Mogogol?" Ultima asked.

"Yes it is," Sozo answered, "and despite not speaking any language, they can understand each one correctly and are keepers of the Water Sapphire." The mogogol in the distance began swimming up to the planet's surface, which was a huge sheet of ice. The dragons swam up to the surface to see what was above the ocean's surface. Lo and behold, there was mountains and caves constructed out of ice, and there were huge cracks that had thawed so each creature could dive into and out from the water. Huts were formed out of snow, and the Ocean Mogogols live in them. Poking out of the largest hut was the Water Sapphire itself. As the dragons approached the village and train in the ways of the Water Rainbolement, Kirby felt the Smash Ball on his forehead flashing bright, and the vision's were over for now.

* * *

The pink puffball quickly jerked up, surrounded by his good friends. Kirby gave out a sigh of relief, finally giving him time to realize they were on a pathway near a power-hungry castle on top of a rapid waterfall.

"Finally," Link sighed. "You're awake. Now we can continue this journey safely…"

"If you haven't figured out by now, we're traveling down this exact waterfall to rescue the Eldest Fab Fairy, who is trapped in a blue crystal, and head towards this castle and rescue Bowser to weaken the Northern Barrier to the Galeem Void even more."

"And then we head back to the light fissure bridge and wait for the rest of our friends to open a pathway through," the Mii Swordfighter answered. Kirby, now knowing the current plan right now, nodded in agreement and continued traveling down the road with his friends. Along the way, Sheik was rather curious about the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn's name.

"So… Ultimate… do you think we should just keep calling you simply Mii Swordfighter or would you prefer a different name?" Sheik asked. "I mean, the Inkling we know is called Clementine. Surely you can think of a name to identify you easier from a group of other Mii Swordfighters?"

"Well, every Ultimate in our timeline has never been given a name so that enemies cannot track us down as easily," the Mii Swordfighter answered. "We believed that names might reveal us to the public and make us easier targets, so we conceal our names. Only those not born from an Ultimate's blood can technically sport a name."

"Do you have an ancestor's name, at least?" Sheik said. "One we can all agree to call you by?" The blond short-haired, blue-eyed Mii began thinking about a good name to be identified as, though that would mean breaking tradition.

"Well, the very first Mii Swordfighter went by the name of Gilbert, though he and his comrades agreed to hide their names from the public eye," the ex-Ultimate answered.

"Do you think we could call you Gilbert from now on?" Sheik told the Mii. "I think that name would be fitting for you…"

"Of course," the Mii Swordfighter, now known as Gilbert, responded in a happy expression. "Gilbert, it is. It's unique and really stands out on its own." Some of the fighters overheard the conversation and agreed to let the Mii Swordfighter keep his new name as they traveled near the top of the waterfall.


	49. Pt 49: Almost to the Main Goal

After a good night's rest, Faker managed to use her powers to lower the tent of leaves. The daylight shined on the faces of Joker, Marth, Mega Man, Mario, Donkey Kong, PAC-MAN, Olimar, Snake, Ryu, Lucas, Isabelle, Pichu, and Duck Hunt.

"Rise and shine," Faker whispered in Joker's ear. The Phantom Thief pushed her aside and rubbed his face. Mario and the gang also woke up to see they weren't attacked by the forces of light. They had also noticed that the Northern Barrier far up north was still pulling yellow as though it had not been touched yet.

"Weren't we flying around the world for a few days…?" Isabelle asked, tired.

"I just learned time flies when you're somewhere else around the world, meaning days are actually hours here," Faker answered. Each of the Smashers started getting up from the ground, knowing time speeds up outside of this exact island.

"Oh, I just remembered," Faker continued. "I found this pipe we were supposed to take…" The team then followed the amnesiac warrior to a large hill, back where the other group managed to rescue Link from the Galeem Lock. At the cliffside was the blue pipe accessed before.

"Guess we need to travel through and head to the mountains in the west on the other side," Marth noted, already climbing into the pipe. The Hero-King slipped through, and his friends jumped after him shortly later. The gang already appeared between the purple-fog smoke and then heart-shaped lake through the blue pipe.

"Looks like somebody already took care of something before we even figured out our plan," Snake said, noticing fragments of a shattered pink crystal in the middle of the heart-shaped lake. Joker then looked west to see the mountains they were supposed to travel through and instantly knew what they had to do right now.

"I'm betting right now we simply climb the mountains, travel through space to clear a path to the Galeem Void, and wait for our friends to help unlock the gate to the Sky Temple… is that correct?" Joker asked his friends.

"Precisely," Mario answered. "Now then…" The red plumber immediately took a path to the mountains, flicking his wrist and signaling his friends to come with him. The fighters started treading through a thin layer of snow the closer they got to the mountain range, and each one of them felt the temperature start to drop.

Minutes passed by, and it began snowing hard. A thin layer of white coated the heads of each Smasher, and Faker tried providing warmth by using the Fire Rainbolement to heat up all their clothes. Mega Man was starting to feel a bit stiffer due to the weather, and Isabelle and Pichu hopped into Joker's arms since they were so cold. As the heavy snow shower fell upon the mountains, Mario held out his hand to see a tiny clump of soft ice form in his palm.

"Not even the harshest of winters are as cold as Galeem's heart," Mario sighed, letting the snow melt in his hand. "I just don't understand. Why is it the light turns against us when we were THIS close to victory?"

"What do you mean?" Mega Man asked. "Isn't the light supposed to signal all the hopeful and good things in the world?"

"Obviously," Mario sighed. "But somehow this seraph that claims to be the Lord of Light has his own definition of evil. A lawful kind of evil. I mean… why even risk all this?"

"Risk what…?" Faker asked. The fighters stopped in the middle of the snow to hear what the team leader had to say.

"Risking the supposed deaths of hundreds of billions, changing the world both figuratively and literally… why?" Mario asked. "Galeem's choice to create the perfect world was plenty enough, and he doesn't care what happens to the landscape. Why does he now worry about his armies of Primaries dwindling? There's something more sinister at play, and we are all going in on it. Right?" The rest of his teammates nodded in agreement, knowing Galeem might have more tricks up his sleeve than they originally known.

"Thought so," Mario replied. The team continued with their mission of traveling through the mountains, with more minutes passing through. However, they suddenly came across icy paths that looked like they could not climb as much as slip and fall. Lucas began to run up the icy paths, but was unsuccessful as he simply slid down to the soft snow at the bottom.

"How are we gonna get over to the spaceship the Werewolf described?" Lucas asked. Each one of the fighters began thinking of ideas on how to get to the top. As Faker had tested, she could not melt the ice itself since it would simply refreeze again.

"I don't get it," Joker said. "Anything hot won't melt these icy paths. Almost as if they are controlled by some magic that is preventing us from traveling any further… I wonder which enemy it could be…" As soon as Joker finished, Mii Brawlers and Gunners under Galeem's possession ambushed the Smashers and had them surrounded. Walking out of the group of corrupted Mii Fighters was the Ice Climbers Primary.

"Didn't think we would bump into you people here," female voices spoke from the duo's bodies in unison. Aside from the other fighters getting triggered by the glowing-red eyes and the white aura of a Primary, Joker noticed those voices were somehow familiar. An image flashed between the two Ice Climbers, revealing a set of twins clothed in blue and sporting eyepatches: covering different eyes for each twin.

"Caroline and Justine?" Joker asked. The Phantom Thief's new friends were confused by what he meant by that. Because of that, he had to explain the two sisters to them.

"They served as prison wardens that helped fuse Personas together in the Metaverse in my world, back when they had served Igor… long before Igor was sealed away and replaced by Jaldabaoth, the Holy Grail," Joker told his companions in a brief sentence.

"Surprised you had managed to survive the onslaught upon our universe while you left us all to die," Caroline's side of the Master Legendary Spirit spoke from Popo's body.

"Now we are forced to serve Galeem as our Lord and Master for all eternity instead of Igor," Justine's side of the Spirit said from Nana's body.

"Ladies, please," Joker chuckled. "This is all just a big misunderstanding. I mean, you both know me. Can't we at least get along with one another? We know we don't want to see our friends suffer and you don't want to be forced into a vessel you're uncomfortable with- NOW!" Joker quickly dashed towards the Ice Climbers Primary, grabbing the 2-in-1 duo with both of his hands. As the captured fighters tried to whack the Phantom Thief with their mallets. A vortex instantly spawned between the three fighters, and both Joker and the Ice Climbers Primary were transported to another Final Destination-like area. Once the Primary and the Phantom Thief were gone, the corrupted Brawlers and Gunners started attacking the rest of the Smashers.

A flat stage carved from an iceberg appeared, and it really wasn't slippery despite being made out of ice. It was the Summit variation of the Final Destination, and Joker woke up to see possessed Nana and Popo wearing blue fancy hats and eyepatches like the Spirits that are possessing each individual one. The Ice Climbers Primary then began whacking icy projectiles with their mallets.

"I see they want to do this the hard way then," Joker said to himself. The Phantom Thief quickly placed his hand on his mask, his gray eyes flashing with the blue flames of Arsene as he used Rebel's Guard. Though the icy projectiles and the smash attacks from the Ice Climbers Primary did damage him, the damage was significantly reduced and granted him a second of super armor. Joker afterwards began firing with his gun, scratching the Eskimo-like fur coats with his bullets and causing the captured fighters to flinch.

The Ice Climbers Primaries then began holding hands and spinning around, attempting to hit Joker. The Phantom Thief quickly jumped up and used his Eiha spell, inflicting a damaging magic flame. Though it didn't deal much damage, it had lasting damage on the captured fighter duo. Joker then jumped again and grabbed Popo with his Grappling Hook, leaving Nana to panic in place. He tossed the lead off the stage, and while Nana was grabbing Popo, Joker pulled off his mask and released Arsene since his Rebellion Gauge was full.

Joker's gun was enhanced from Gun to Gun Special, firing three bullets at a time. The Phantom Thief was assisted by his main Persona, and the two attacked the Ice Climbers Primary. The captured fighters managed to spam their icy projectiles again, but Joker used Makarakarn to reflect them back. This did not stop the captured duo, however, as they rushed in with smash attacks. Luckily, Joker used Arsene to inflict the move Tetrakarn and knocked them off the stage.

"Eigaon!" Joker yelled, commanding his Persona to unleash a bigger, enhanced version of Eiha. Though Nana was hit by the move, Popo resisted and quickly grabbed Joker. Arsene was invincible and could not help the Phantom Thief in this situation. Joker was knocked off the stage, and the Ice Climbers Primaries were about to use their forward airs and end the Phantom Thief. However, Joker was not that easy to defeat. Arsene quickly grabbed the Phantom Thief and used Wings of Rebellion. The move itself was invincible despite lacking hitboxes and saved Joker from getting meteor-smashed. The Phantom Thief quickly jumped off the ledge, watching the captured fighters trying to recover. With one downward slash, Joker and Arsene instantly won the battle. All that was left to do was rescue the Ice Climbers themselves from the Galeem Lock and free both the fighter and the Master Legendary Spirit that had possessed said fighter.

As soon as Joker returned to the mountains with Ice Climbers snuggled in his arms, he saw that Mario and the gang also won against the Mii troops, and all that remained were footprints upon footprints in the thick snow.

"…Do I even need to ask?" Joker said. Some of the fighters laughed in response to that question shortly before seeing the Spirit and the white mist of the Galeem Lock floating off to the east. As soon as that fight was over, the icy paths thawed into stone stairs, and the Ice Climbers woke up.

"Popo! Popo!" Nana exclaimed. She was the first one to wake up, and she managed to hop out of Joker's arms with Popo in her clutches. The blue Eskimo slowly stirred back to conscious, seeing the face of his female, pink-coated teammate. The Ice Climbers hugged each other, knowing they were free from a terrible fate. The duo then saw the fighters they were allied with a the moment: Mario, Marth, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Lucas, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, Pichu, Mega Man, Snake, Ryu, and Joker, all accompanied by Faker.

"Who's that guy?" Popo asked, pointing at Joker since the two had obviously never seen the Phantom Thief before.

"He's a friend," Marth answered, "and he's going to help us save the universe."

"Hey, can we go now?" Lucas asked. "I've got a feeling that Galeem's forces are going to be back any moment. After all, the Light Puppets were pretty angry after we had trapped them on this island…" The team then began walking up the stone stairs, ready to head to their next goal: a spaceship that had been described by the Werewolf.

Near the power-hungry castle, Kirby's team was looking down the waterfall, seeing if there was a way to control the currents to get to the blue crystal.

"Any bright ideas on how to get down there, Gilbert?" Fox asked the Mii Swordfighter.

"I suppose if we latch onto the rock in the middle of the river, we could find a way through safely… that is, if the waterfall doesn't kill us first…" Gilbert answered.

"…Agreed," Fox sighed, stepping onto the edge of the waterfall with the Mii Swordfighter. Kirby, Piranha Plant, Sheik, Villager, Captain Falcon, Link, Dr. Mario, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Inkling, Jigglypuff, Yoshi, and Lucario were just about ready to jump in to and hope the current carries them to their objective destination.

Clementine was the only one who was rather afraid to go into the water. The other fighters noticed the Inkling could not jump in. Lucario, being the only one to use telekinesis outside of Mewtwo, sensed what was wrong with Clementine by placing his hand on her shoulder and reading her mind.

"She can't jump into the water because of a history with her species," Lucario explained to his friends. "According to Clementine, Inklings get killed in the water due to the fact that her home planet's oceans are filled with toxic chemicals as the result of nuclear wars 12,000 years ago that had pretty much wiped out the human race. The Inklings, sensing that the water was dangerous to live in, moved out of the oceans and evolved into land creatures and have been afraid of natural water sources ever since."

"I don't know," Link objected, placing his hand in the cold water. "It's clean and pure to swim in."

"Maybe for you, but her species is highly sensitive to dangerous substances," Lucario answered. Clementine swallowed a lump in her throat, knowing that she could melt in the water if she wasn't careful, and there were no checkpoints to respawn in. The Inkling quickly pushed aside her friends to test the water for herself, clearly not used to clean waters. She began chirping in her own squid language, looking into the rushing currents and ready to stick her hand in.

"Inkling saying if she dies, we stay away from her funeral," Lucario continued. Gulping, Clementine instantly shoved her hand into the water, her heart beating fast. Much to her expectations, the waterfall really was clean and pure as she didn't feel her hand dissolve. She took it out of the water, seeing droplets roll down her naked arm and still feeling fine. She turned around and laughed, letting her friends know it was safe for her to swim in.

"Alright," Gilbert told everyone. "Guess we can go now." Kirby jumped in first, letting the waterfall's currents carry him to the rock in the center of the river. He hopped onto the rock and waved towards his friends, unharmed.

"Guess it's safe," Captain Falcon said before jumping in after the pink puffball. One at a time, each fighter was carried through the streams and ending up at the rock, and the only ones at the top completely dry were the Mii Swordfighter and the Inkling.

"It's gonna be alright," the ex-Ultimate Reborn told Clementine as he slowly lowered her into the stream. "Just don't panic and let the waters carry you to your destination…" The Inkling started feeling herself tossed and turned in the streams, but she wasn't hit by a single rock. Afterwards, she safely climbed onto the rock with her friends, followed by the Mii Swordfighter. Each of the Smashers noticed there was a hop, skip, and jump over another stream connected to the waterfall, and there was the blue crystal at the end of it.

"Now all we have to do is jump across and we'll be fine," Link told his friends, ready to jump across.

"I think that can be arranged," a voice said from a distance.

"Who said that!?" Gilbert asked, unsheathing his sword and quickly looking around. A figure jumped out from the shadows, leaping from such a ridiculous location: the top of the waterfall. When the figure landed, the fighters instantly made it out to be Pikachu.

"Who has the right mind to cross Morgana, mascot of the Phantom Thieves!?" the same voice spoke from Pikachu's body. As you can tell, Morgana is the Spirit possessing Pikachu right now.

"Galeem's orders are MY orders!" the Pikachu Primary spoke out, electricity shooting out from his cheeks. "One of you come up and face me now!"

"Stand back, people," Lucario told the group. "I've got this." The two Pokémon rushed towards each other, ready to attack as soon as a vortex warped them away. As soon as Lucario went to fight off the Pikachu Primary, the other fighters decided to jump to the other side of the stream. All of them did it successfully, and all they have to do before breaking the blue crystal open is wait for one of their teammates again…

"Do you hear something…?" Fox asked. Since he was an anthropomorphic fox, he had enhanced senses apart from the other fighters and started hearing faint footsteps. The Star Fox mercenary then began jumping up to the path they were on before, only peaking out as though he was hiding from something this time. The other fighters noticed Fox looking at something and went up the hill to join him.

"You guys really need to see this," Fox whispered, pointing towards the castle. From the distance was King Bulbin riding on his steed Lord Bullbo. The gates were opening, and what appeared to be all of the Bukoblins that served Galeem were riding into the castle. Pulled by many of the war boars were wagons of what appeared to be supplies.

"What do you suppose they're dragging in?" Gilbert asked.

"Whatever it is, it's-a high chance of bad," Dr. Mario answered.

"We better be careful, then," Little Mac told his friends. While the other Smashers were watching, Kirby looked up into the sky and saw Ryu's Galeem Lock, which was in the form of a white mist, combine itself with that of the Ice Climbers. The pink puffball was easily distracted and ran down the hill to get a closer look of the small cloud of glowing-white mist. Once Kirby touched it with his stubby hand, another vision triggered inside him.

The pink demon rubbed his eyes, seeing the rainbow Aura and golden eyes caused by the Smash Ball on his forehead. As Kirby began looking around, he noticed the stadium had already left the planet of Mizuku, home of the Water Rainbolement. There was only a year and about four months remaining for the ten-year Dragosmos training, and each student trained to the best of their ability.

Kirby then saw Phoenix sitting next to Katzen, the both of them watching the stars flash by. The violet diamond-coated dragoness was given an adventure of awe and wonder, and she knew how big and vast the solar system really was. It was so mesmerizing it was almost amazing.

"Phoenix?" Katzen asked. "Do you often get lonely…?"

"How come?" Phoenix asked.

"For almost ten years, you have been jealous of your brother's attention from the other dragons, and you are often isolated and alone," Katzen explained. "Why aren't you consulting Galeem about this?"

"Katzen, we had been over this so many times," Phoenix sighed. "I had to calm down and control my emotions for the goodness and well-benefit of others, despite how hurting it may be."

"Well, you might have to speak up at some point if it isn't right for you to be rejected all the time, Phoenix," Katzen told her mate, nuzzling into his neck. "I hope it isn't anything bad…"

"I hope so too," Phoenix finished, "especially when I am with you." The two dragons then saw the stars had stopped moving in the sky, and the stadium's engines stopped.

"Attention, Dragosmos," General Sozo spoke over the arena's speakers. "This is our last stop: Majikku, home of the Magic Rainbolement. This is the last of all seven Rainbolements, so make it count. We have only several months before we head back to Arcus and preform in front of Civiltatula, the City of Dragons. Only those that have preformed the best will finally join Lord Ceresor's side as a true Dragosmos. We hope you will all be ready by then. Line up at the door and we will start training outside of the stadium."

"Let's go," Katzen told Phoenix, flying away from the stage. Phoenix followed after her as he took off too. All of the students lined up at the door one last time, waiting for orders to be given by the two generals. Ultima walked close to her brothers Galeem and Phoenix, confident in their current behavior towards one another. The generals lined up at the door, ready to show them Majikku, a world of wonder.

As soon as the doors opened, the dragons were greeted to something never seen before. The planet itself was coated in long nights, meaning that the plants that grew here started flashing with dancing colors. The plants were a special kind of bioluminescent, meaning it was a literal show they presented. There were fairies dancing throughout the night sky, and strange creatures that were either undiscovered in Arcus or thought to have been extinct swam through calm rivers that we're perfect in temperature. As the dragons continued through the strange forest, satyrs riding on the backs of centaurs passed around them, blowing trumpets carved from the scorpion-like stingers of manticores. They all traveled to what appeared to be a humongous tree, one that seemed to dominate the tallest trees in Yangkatzu.

The branches were decorated in unearthly glows, almost like the stars in the sky. Living in holes were mythical beings found in fairy tales. A white horse that seemed to have both a unicorn horn and humongous wings, and it's glittery mane flowed behind it as it went into the center of the tree.

"Welcome to Majikku," Sozo told the Dragosmo students. "In this world, all sorts of creatures work together to create their perfect world, and the winged unicorns stand as their leaders, though they are all led by a queen." The Dragosmos all took off to the center of the tree, where all of the magical creatures gathered to meet up with the winged unicorns. Each one of those mythical horses had different coats similar to regular horses, and they all bowed down to greet the current ruler of Majikku: the Queen of the Winged Unicorns. The citizens of the planet stepped aside to greet the dragons that had came to train here.

"Generals Sozo and Hakai," the Queen of the Winged Unicorns spoke telepathically, her horn glowing as she addressed. "I see you brought new students with you to this planet. Welcome, travelers."

"We ask of your permission to use the Magic Amethyst again, your Majesty," Sozo told the queen. "These brave souls are almost there to becoming full Dragosmos, and all we need is one more of these elemental powers."

"It would be our pleasure to share our abilities with the likes of you," the Queen of the Winged Unicorns telepathized. She walked towards her wooden throne and touched the top of it with her horn. The throne itself unfurled to reveal the Magic Amethyst. Violet beams began shooting out in all directions, and each one pierced each Dragosmos student.

"The Rainbolement of Magic now flows within you," the queen spoke telepathically. "Train well and these abilities will change in how you react in battle…" The Dragosmos bowed and left the giant tree, ready to train one last time outside of Arcus. Before Kirby could learn about the training, the Smash Ball glowed again, and he was back in Gallia.

"Kirby? Are you okay?" Gilbert asked, poking the pink demon's face. Kirby sat up and noticed he was still where he was last left: near the road to the castle. Pikachu, who was freed from Galeem's possession, hugged Kirby tightly.

"You didn't miss much, so don't worry," Fox told the pink alien. "All you know is that Lucario saved Pikachu."

"Look over there!" Wii Fit Trainer called out, pointing towards the blue crystal. All the fighters looked in her direction, and each one of them noticed the crystal shattering in so many pieces. Once the explosion settled, the fighters saw another Spirit of the Master Advanced class, sporting a deep purple rose in her violet hair and wearing a dress sewn out of dark indigo leaves. She was the Eldest Fab Fairy.

"Thanks a bunch!" the Eldest Fab Fairy spoke. "I was getting really cramped up in there!"

"You're welcome," Lucario answered. "We managed to rescue your middle sister, and we're taking a guess that the youngest of your bunch was saved as well…"

"Wonderful!" the Eldest Fab Fairy sighed with relief. "However, before I go off to reunite with my sisters, I was hoping if I can join your team for a while… at least until you all beat the boss inside that castle."

"We accept," Link said. "Let's get going then."

"We have to be careful," Dr. Mario told the group.

"We literally saw King Bulbin and his men go in there," Sheik filled in. The Sheikah then ran off to the gates as stealthy as possible before she was followed by her friends and their new Spirit companion, each one of them going through the open gates.


	50. Pt 50: Giga Bowser

Faker, Joker, Ice Climbers, Ryu, Snake, Mega Man, Pichu, Duck Hunt, Isabelle, Lucas, Donkey Kong, PAC-MAN, Olimar, Marth, and Mario continued up the mountain after noticing the snowy storm was also gone. They suddenly looked to their right, seeing a vast solar system right next to them. The planets were rather small and connected by paths of light blocked by asteroids, but the background and landscape made it plausible for anyone to believe they have caught a glimpse of space.

"I see the path to the Galeem Void!" Faker told the group, noticing a line between the tiny planets that led all the way to the brightness of the Galeem Void, with the Northern Barrier glowing yellow and pulsing steadily.

"What's that over there?" Joker asked, noticing an abandoned ship near the edge of the landscape. As the fighters approached, they noticed it was the Great Fox, all ruined and turned into rubble.

"This baby shouldn't be too hard to fix!" a high-pitched voice spoke out from the team, clearly not part of the fighters. It was, in fact, the Slippy Toad Spirit the group rescued back at the power plant earlier. As the Werewolf had explained, this Spirit was obligatory despite how annoying he was.

"All it needs is a little tweaking!" Slippy continued, floating towards the destroyed Great Fox. The anthropomorphic toad floated through the walls and began repairing the wreckage from the inside. Only seconds had passed before the Great Fox was shaped up good as new.

"Let's go," Marth said, walking into the ship's steel door. The other Smashers joined him, and the ship closed shortly after. The Great Fox switched to auto-pilot mode and departed from the icy ground, ejecting into the space area. For a while, the fighters could relax again after traveling for so long.

Joker looked out into the stars, noticing the scenery itself was fake and the planets themselves were nothing more than large, flat discs. The Phantom Thief pressed his red-gloved hand against the thick glass window, and Mario walked in to his right.

"…You miss them, don't you?" Mario asked. According to the plumber, Joker had something on his mind that involved his past companions.

"…You know what happened to those that either fought or defended against the light, right?" Joker asked.

"Of course," Mario answered. "Everyone has been transformed into Spirits, with Normals accessing solid matter at will and Masters unable to touch anything without a vessel for possession despite having abilities for more powerful assistance. All of our friends were captured by the light, transformed into our Trophy forms, and used as cloning machines for Supporters: unique Shadow Bug clones that require Spirits to enhance their strength but are otherwise immobilized. With the Lock, which was crafted from our Smash Balls, Master Legendries – the most powerful Spirits out there – are bound to our bodies until death under Galeem's orders, making us Primaries. The Fighter Spirits are afterwards banished into exile, waiting for someone to reawaken and save them…"

"That was pretty dark, but I was just asking what happened to my friends," Joker answered.

"Oh," Mario noted. "They probably became what I described…"

"…Do you want to know how I really survived the Movement of the Light?" Joker asked.

"Movement of the Light?" Mario responded in question.

"That's the name I apparently came up with," Joker continued. "Before, I was lying to you people how I survived mainly because I thought you were spies and you didn't act friendly before… Now that I managed to gain your trust, I guess it's time to tell you how I did it…

"Back at Earth, I was just simply resting, ready for a busy day of finals the next week. I was also tired from traveling to the Metaverse and changing the hearts of wicked people by stealing their shadow-versions' treasures. As soon as I fell asleep, a light as bright as the sun shined through my window. At first, I thought it was daytime already despite my alarm clock reading 10:00 P.M., and the news on the TV were getting the same complaints as well. Everyone, including me, walked into the store streets of Tokyo and looked up into the sky to see what appeared to be a meteor shower shining as bright as the sun. However, before we knew what happened, the "meteorites" curved in towards us and attacked.

"There was nothing but a panic throughout the city. People being burned alive, children crying, church and temple bells around the world ringing that it was 'Judgement Day'. I tried to hide between the buildings and call my friends about the situation, but the moment I saw them through a face cam app, it was too late. I quickly ran off on my separate path instead of heading to the nearest airport and subway trains. Taping the app that took me to the Metaverse on my smartphone, I traveled to the parallel dimension of Mementos before the lights devoured me.

"I appeared in my Phantom Thief form, suddenly aware that the light beams were in Mementos too. They were that powerful. As the lights consumed all matter, I pulled out my Wild Card and used every Persona I had in my inventory. Both the Metaverse and the real world were being consumed by the light, and all of my Personas came up with a plan. All of the Personas left the Wild Card I was using to fight off the light, and Arsene was the only one to transport me to a gateway between Mementos and Earth: a place where the light could not reach.

"As soon as the light vanished, I woke up in a strange new world. My mask was by my side, and I saw Arsene was badly wounded by that time. I also saw the Wild Card was burned away, meaning I only had a few days left to use only one or two Personas at a time, excluding Arsene since he was bound to my mask, who all vanished shortly after I met you guys. I was met up by Piranha Plant and four other survivors, who found different ways of being consumed by the light.

"For the Piranha Plant, we had no idea how he really survived. That flower did not even have enough intelligence levels to write or even speak. The best guess we could come up with was hiding in a sewage pipe in time. Regardless, we departed from each other, and we hope to see each other again soon…"

"Incoming signal," Snake alerted the other fighters. On his radar, Snake noticed an enemy vehicle approaching the Great Fox.

"Identify the intruder and put it on-screen," Ryu commanded. With the best of his ability, Snake managed to adjust to the ship's complicated controls and quickly brought up the camera screen. What they saw was an Arwing attempting to barrel-roll through the ship's hull. The Arwing itself had no idea it was unsuccessful.

The camera zoomed in on the Arwing, and the Smashers pieced together that it was battered and busted, just like how it appeared when Galeem burned Falco through the starship he was traveling in. Despite having lost some major parts, like several wings and the roof of the cockpit, the ship somehow functioned on its own as though it was a zombie.

The camera zoomed in closer. As the fighters adjusted the ship's lens, they found out it was Falco Lombardi himself trying to break through the hull in a busted Arwing. The red eyes and white aura gave away the fact he was also under Galeem's possession as a Primary through the Lock.

"I'll go in to rescue Falco," Mario told his friends. "The rest of you all get rid of those asteroids." The red plumber started running towards the deck. However, when he arrived without assistance, there were no Arwings in sight. Irritated, Mario had to open the emergency airlock room next to the Arwing parking deck.

"I guess we'll do this the hard way then," Mario sighed, ready to jump out. The red plumber was starting to remember the days he traveled through space to rescue Peach and the Comet Observatory, and he did not rely on the usage of at least an astronaut suit to survive in space. After the airlock closed and a second door outside of the Great Fox opened, Mario quickly jumped out. As mentioned before, Mario was okay when he was floating in the strange space area, almost like he was the bottom of a pool.

Mario floated as fast as he could towards the broken Arwing, and the red plumber quickly grabbed onto the ship's hull. The Falco Primary stopped what he was doing and quickly noticed Mario trying to break into the Arwing. With a swing from his legs, Mario busted the cockpit window open. The Falco Primary immediately pulled out his blaster, but Mario quickly grabbed the captured fighter and tossed him out of the Arwing. The Great Fox stopped the engines for a while to see Mario grabbing the Arwing itself. Throwing the broken starship with immense force, Mario aimed for the Falco Primary, who was sitting on one of the disc-shaped planets at that time. The captured fighter quickly jumped out of the way, dodging the explosion from the Arwing.

Mario quickly jumped off another flat planet, trying to catch up with the Falco Primary in such low gravity. The captured fighter kept firing his lasers and kicking out its reflector, but the red plumber quickly caped the projectiles back at the Falco Primary. Mario grabbed the anthropomorphic bird, ready to punch once he saw what Master Legendary Spirit was possessing one of his friends this time. It was the legendary Pokémon Lugia, who was also one of the Pokémon freed from the Yggdrasil explosion a while ago in the form of a Spirit. Mario tossed the Falco Primary near the Great Fox, slamming the Star Fox mercenary into the hull. The two fighters kept attacking each other until they both got sucked back into the ship's airlock, which was still open during that time.

"A little help-a here!" Mario exclaimed, signaling his friends to cover him up as he kept fighting the Falco Primary. The ship's speakers quickly picked up the situation, and the whole group ran in to protect the red plumber.

Once the Falco Primary pinned Mario to the floor, he sat up on the plumber's body and pointed his blaster at Mario's head. Joker quickly pulled out his gun and fired straight for the captured fighter's cranium. After the bullet flew straight through the Falco Primary's head, the captured fighter fell limp and died, with none of the fighters getting the chance to go through the Spirit Roulette again. The Galeem Lock was broken, and the Lugia Spirit flew free. Falco Lombardi himself, despite being shot in the head, was healed and reawakened.

"…What happened?" Falco asked, clenching his feathery head. "I feel like I've got a splitting headache…"

"He he… my fault," Joker shyly answered, hiding the gun in his jacket. Mario quickly got up, patting the Star Fox mercenary's shoulder. During that fight with Falco, the Great Fox managed to clear the asteroids from the light path, and it was heading straight for the Galeem Void trapped in the Northern Barrier.

* * *

Inside the castle, Kirby, Pikachu, Piranha Plant, Yoshi, Villager, Jigglypuff, Sheik, Inkling, Mii Swordfighter, Little Mac, Captain Falcon, Wii Fit Trainer, Link, Dr. Mario, and Fox with the Eldest Fab Fairy began looking around for the target for their plan to overthrow Galeem. An ocean of lava covered the structure's floor, scalding the stone pathways to heating temperatures. Lava monsters swam in between the gaps, Dry Bones were walking in the distance, and other enemies from the Mushroom Kingdom plagued the way to Bowser's throne.

"I'm guessing these were what Bulbin and his men were dragging in, huh?" Little Mac asked.

"Oh my," the Eldest Fab Fairy Spirit said. "Don't worry if any of you get hurt. My spells will heal you back to normal… that is unless you cook in the lava first." As the fighters progressed through the castle, fighting various enemies like Koopas and Goombas, they suddenly stumbled across a pathway. There was nothing but air, but flimsy strings colored blue traced out a path to the next stone pillar.

Piranha Plant looked around to see what he could find. Much to his surprise, he saw a P Switch the same color as the lines just next to the path. Once the carnivorous flower spat out a spiky ball, it hit the P Switch and the blue-colored bridge appeared out of thin air. All of the fighters noticed what happened, and they knew how to solve this puzzle.

Traveling through the castle, each of the fighters attacked waves of Mushroom Kingdom enemies, and they were activating different-colored P Switches to access more bridges. For each bridge they accessed and each pipe they slipped through, each of the fighters were getting closer to Bowser's throne. All they needed to access was one more P Switch: one that was black and connected all the way to the throne.

"Almost there," Gilbert addressed. "Just need to touch that P Switch and we'll be on our way- are you kidding me!?" The Mii Swordfighter was just interrupted by the sound of a cage rolling down from the ceiling in chains, descending to the stone pillar that the fighters were standing on right in front of the black P Switch. As soon as the unlocked cage opened, a familiar pink slipper poked out.

"…Could it be?" Sheik asked. Walking out of the open cage was the Peach Primary. She had already plucked a handful of white turnips with different faces on them, and she was ready to toss them at the fighters. The Spirit that was possessing Peach through the Galeem Lock was the Shadow Queen from Mario's adventures through the Thousand-Year Door.

"Looking for someone?" the Peach Primary asked in a calm yet intimidating voice. By the moment she finished, King Bulbin and his Bokoblin army cornered the fighters by surrounding them throughout the stone pillar. The Peach Primary stepped in front, with a small group of Bokoblins behind her. Noticing that the Piranha Plant was the one that started the idea of jumping on P Switches, the captured fighter grabbed the carnivorous flower and vanished through a vortex. The other Bokoblin were ready to attack the other fighters.

Each Smasher was set to fight each incoming group of Bokoblins. With their skills and brawns, the fighters swatted down all of those Hyrulean monsters like flies. Punches and kicks flew around, and it was to the point where most of the Bokoblins that were either waiting for a turn to attack or lunged in for the kill were tossed into the lava by their own kind's bodies whacking into them. King Bulbin was ready to charge on his steed Lord Bullbo into the crossfire, but Fox quickly grabbed the Bokoblin's spear and kicked Lord Bullbo's face at the same time. Once the war hog was knocked unconscious, King Bulbin was tossed onto the ground by the accelerated force of his own weapon, and Link pointed the Master Sword at the king's neck.

"I see you have bested my forces," King Bulbin addressed. "I only serve those that have defeated me in battle, just so you know." When several more Bokoblin arrived, King Bulbin raised his hand, signaling his troops to hold their fire. Once everything seemed to have calmed down, Pikachu hopped towards the black P Switch and pressed it. The black bridge appeared, providing a path to Bowser's throne.

"Now that the Bokoblin clan has been defeated by the teamwork of your mighty powers, we will accept whatever quest you have for us," King Bulbin continued.

"Well first off, you can help take me back to my sister's," the Eldest Fab Fairy spoke up. "With my powers, I can already sense they are at the gate to the Sky Temple. However, I would like someone to show me the way." The Master Advanced Spirit floated towards the Bokoblins.

"How do we know if you're not going to take her away?" Fox asked, keeping his blaster next to his side.

"Like the Werewolf, we too deserve freedom," King Bulbin confessed. "We can't handle being under Galeem's control anymore, but we had stuck to our promise that I will serve those that have defeated me. Turns out you people were no different." The Bokoblin army then rode off from the castle, with the Eldest Fab Fairy floating behind them. As soon as both the Bokoblin army and the Fab Fairy have disappeared, a vortex appeared behind the fighters, and Piranha Plant carrying an unconscious Peach in his leaves appeared. The Shadow Queen Spirit floated out from the vanishing portal with the white mist of the Galeem Lock, and both of those mysterious entities floated right into Kirby. Another vision began inside the pink puffball's mind.

* * *

Kirby appeared back on the planet of Majikku, home of the Magic Rainbolement. The pink puffball saw that the Dragosmo students, who were all fully-matured adults, were already finished with their final technique at the roots of the giant tree, and the two generals walked towards the students to give his thanks.

"You did well, my students," Sozo congratulated. "You have spent the last ten years training and harnessing each of the seven Rainbolements within all of you. Hopefully you have also learned their morals. By this point, you are on the path to becoming true defenders of Arcus, meaning you may have to do you best for the Dragosmo festival this year, otherwise you will be stuck here for another ten years. Within a week after we get back home, we all expect you to improvise with your special skills, whether working alone or as a team. Now that our lessons are truly over, we will head back home to Arcus." Sozo and Hakai took off into the nighttime skies and flew all the way back to the Sky Temple Training Arena. All of the other Dragosmos were heading back, and Ultima stayed around for a while longer to wait for the Queen of the Winged Unicorns to trot towards her. The mythical horse herself was guarded by two centaurs.

"We will miss you terribly," the queen spoke telepathically. Ultima turned around and nodded in agreement.

"It really was an honor spending ten years in space and other planets, learning about the solar system's history," Ultima addressed. "Thank you for everything." The black dragoness was spreading her wings, ready to head back. However, the winged unicorn had something to say.

"I also wish good luck for your brothers, no matter how strong their conflict is," the queen noted. Ultima froze in place for a split second, remembering the Minister of the Plant Wyverns reminding her of the Queen of the Winged Unicorns having a solution to their problems.

"You… know about my brothers? Galeem and Phoenix?" Ultima asked.

"The Magic Rainbolement allows us to see the impossible," the magical horse answered. "Though they don't act like it, they will be a part of something greater." Ultima lowered her rainbow-spectrum wings back on her back, and she slowly walked towards the winged unicorn.

"Something… greater?" the dragoness questioned. The queen then tapped her front hoof on the soil, alerting Ultima to bow before her. The dragon willingly obeyed, and the Queen of the Winged Unicorns moved close enough so that her single horn touched Ultima's forehead. A bright light slowly gleaned between the two creatures, and the winged unicorn slowly backed away while neighing, trauma in her sparkling-blue eyes. The two centaurs bodyguards quickly laid hands on the queen, comforting her.

"What is it?" Ultima asked, getting up from her spot.

"Your brothers will fight one another eventually, and it would be more than just how many friends they have," the queen answered telepathically. "Your future will be grim and unpredictable, making it impossible to stop. All you can do is pray you survive the events."

"Survive? Grim and unpredictable? What's going on?" Ultima asked, a little terrified.

"They may have set aside their differences for now, but your brothers have their visions clouded with judgement over the darkness and light," the queen answered. "There may be arguments which could be valid at times, but they will eventually find the Mother…"

"The Mother?" Ultima asked.

"She is the true source of all insanity," the Queen if the Winged Unicorns answered. "Galeem and Phoenix will fight against each other for dominance over popularity, but the Mother will find ways to grant them power. The ancient writings will give your brothers ways to destroy everything and make us all perish. She will permanently corrupt them, and there would be nothing you can accomplish to undo their ways."

"You mean I have to… kill them at some point!?" Ultima asked, terrified.

"They will fall, and balance will be restored, but not by your fangs," the queen continued telepathically. "Only through summoning the warriors of the past will our legacy be able to survive. All you need is the hearts of the planets in our solar system, the stones of darkness and light, and a gift from an all-powerful deity; combine them all into one and you can draw in fighters of many universes. Hurry, before it is too late…" Ultima quickly flew back to the flying stadium, coming in by diving in from the top and landing on the arena's central stage. The blue barrier formed around the arena one last time, and the rockets boosted the building out of the planet. The dragoness rubbed her face, scared about the thoughts of her two brothers becoming corrupted by some ancient texts.

A great war that may doom the multiverse as a whole? A being that will secretly change how their brothers behave? Balance and stuff? What kind of gibberish had that winged unicorn been cooking up? Ultima refused to believe that queen was telling the truth, but from her last years spent in Majikku, all creatures here never find this kind of shit that had hit the fan. Sooner or later, Galeem and Phoenix will fight, but not like any other family of dragons, and she could do nothing to stop their decisions. Something, or someone, more sinister was ready to play the cards, and she was waiting for the dragoness to fold.

 _If what that winged unicorn said was true, then I have the darkest of times for my future,_ Ultima thought. The dragoness watched the stars from above start to slow down, and the rocket engines purred quieter. As soon as the blue barrier dropped to reveal the clear-blue skies of Arcus, Ultima charged up the Air Rainbolement inside her and flew off as fast as the wind. The black dragoness left the Sky Temple Training Arena before any of the other Dragosmos, including Phoenix and Galeem, could even depart from the stadium after ten long years.

Ultima looked down on the land below her. She noticed the land looked slight more green than when she first saw it. Arcus and its colorful skies did not even look a day different. She saw the Civiltatula in the distance in all its glory, admiring how all those huts and stone buildings decorated the City of Dragons. Kirby was riding on her back this whole time, undetected due to the fact that it was a vision.

Now that Ultima had harnessed the power of all seven Rainbolements, it was easier for her to trace a way back to the nest she and her brothers were born in. As Ultima flew as fast as lightning to her home, Kirby's vision was glowing white, meaning it was over for now.

* * *

The pink demon squinted his eyes, his body adjusting to these visions at random. Princess Peach poked his squishy face, waking him up.

"Kirby?" Peach asked. "Are you okay?" The pink alien nodded in response, quickly standing up.

"We better get a move-on," Fox told the gang. "Our only chance is to head to that throne and meet our opponent." The Star Fox mercenary then ran across the black bridge, with Kirby, Link, Piranha Plant, Dr. Mario, Sheik, Villager, Inkling, Little Mac, Yoshi, Wii Fit Trainer, Jigglypuff, Lucario, Pikachu, and now Peach following after him.

The fighters got to the stairs of the throne pillar, where torches were lit up on the sides. In front was a throne covered in various bull horns, and sitting in it was the Bowser Primary himself.

"So… you made it all this way to my castle," a deep voice spoke from the captured fighter. "You know how much Lord Galeem hates to wait for his opponents…" The fighters were already locked in their battle positions, ready to take on the Koopa King that had fallen under the Seraph of Order's power.

"If you want to know who is possessing your villainous friend here, I'll give you a hint," the voice addressed. With a snap of his fingers, the Bowser Primary lowered three cages from the ceiling. In there were different Mii Fighters; though they were under Galeem's control, the Bowser Primary emitted purple flames from his claws. The captured Miis' faces started glowing white, and their faces were ripped off. The Bowser Primary then stuck the faces back on the Mii's just for a demonstration of his powers.

"Of course," Gilbert told his friends. "This is the Dark Lord we're up against, and he was a major threat in an unknown world known as Miitopia. That would probably explain why the Fab Fairies hold such a strong presence here…" The Bowser Primary, under control of the Dark Lord, noticed the Piranha Plant.

"I didn't think I would run into one of Bowser's most loyal minions here," the Bowser Primary snarled, pointing at Piranha Plant.

"He may not seem like it, but Piranha Plant is the spiritual reincarnation of Petey Piranha!" Link exclaimed.

"But do you know why he is in this form…?" the Bowser Primary continued. "Let's take a leap into his long-forgotten memories, shall we?" The Bowser Primary then caused the Piranha Plant to jerk and spasm chaotically, letting him drop to the warm stone floor. The fighters saw a moving image of a budding flower rising from the ashes, looking exactly similar to the flower Sonic the Hedgehog had stumbled upon while he was searching for his friends. A gloved hand from the blue blur touched it's soft, delicate stem.

"Don't worry, little buddy," Sonic said to the flower in the memory flash. "We'll make this end soon. I'm sure of it. You'll grow up to be the first and the most beautiful flower to ever survive the Subspace Apocalypse." A tear landed on the bud, and it bloomed into a beautiful white flower as soon as Sonic was gone.

"As you can see, that flower is, unbelievably, Piranha Plant," the Bowser Primary said. "Ten years after the events of the Subspace Emissary, Petey Piranha was one of the fallen bosses. However, his legacy was not forgotten by the Mushroom Kingdom enemies. Early prototypes for a revival machine powered by the Phantom Ruby and Shadow Synergy Stone were planned for the Subspace Army. However, a freak accident occurred when both stones were unstable, since they did not originally have a vessel, and all that remained was a seed of the once-powerful Piranha Plant.

"He was reincarnated in the form of a perineal flower, one of whose species was undiscovered by any intelligent species ever. Repeating itself in a cycle for ten years. Untouched. Until that blue hedgehog that caused everyone's troubles to begin with woke it up from its dormant sleep. That tear on its petals was that of a warrior who was unaffected by a trophy transformation, so a spark of light triggered inside the flower.

"Petey Piranha regained his memories, but he was unable to act until Galeem destroyed everything. The flower itself had survived through the planet's drastic change. After Joker and four other warriors crash-landed on Gallia, they stumbled across the plant. Interested in his care, they took him in and he grew up into nothing more than an ordinary Piranha Plant. The process of change itself took five long years before they were all detected by Galeem's forces and they went their separate ways."

"Five years?" Wii Fit Trainer asked. The Bowser Primary growled in guilt, knowing he had spoiled the team's time.

"When you have gained the knowledge of Galeem, you know just about everything," the Bowser Primary continued. "And five years waiting for someone to bring your Spirits their bodies back is an eternity. Once Kirby arrived, the Forgotten Resistance emerged from the shadows, now having their chance to strike back. To that pink puffball, it was only a minute." Kirby was surprised by what that Warp Star of his managed to accomplish – time travel into the future. None of the other Smashers could believe anything. They still stood their battle positions as the Bowser Primary got up from his throne.

"Was that too much of an information dump?" the captured fighter finished. "Don't worry: I'll make this quick." The stone pillar everyone was standing on started rumbling, and it quickly accelerated into the air. The ground itself shaped into the Final Destination layout like for all the other Primaries. This time however, the Bowser Primary did not grab a random opponent and draw them in through some vortex. The background changed to mimic a scenery of clouds in the daylight.

"Let me show you what happens when you double-cross a boss that protects the Galeem Void!" the Dark Lord inside Bowser's body said. Bowser's body then started clenching his body in pain. Somehow, the Spirit of the Dark Curse was triggering some sort of transformation inside him. Through a light-green flash, his own body grew larger, and his shell became more intimidating. Bowser's body became mutated in ways unimaginable, and his face spelled out nightmares. It was Giga Bowser. This abysmal creature roared out terror in the faces of the fighters.

Fox began coating his own body in flames, rising up and through Giga Bowser. Once the boss slammed his body down on the stage, all of the fighters jumped out of the way. Dr. Mario and Wii Fit Trainer threw whatever projectiles they had at the monster, hoping they could hold him back. Apparently, Giga Bowser also had super armor, making him hard to punish. Kirby, Villager, and Piranha Plant quickly jumped onto Giga Bowser's shell, jabbing as ferociously as they could. The boss felt the three fighters attacking on his shell, so he started spinning like his Whirling Fortress move but complete with ice particles, knocking them onto their feet.

This was the chance for Fox and Captain Falcon to attack, and they began rapidly punching and kicking at Giga Bowser's feet. The boss suddenly started breathing long streaks of fire at the Smashers. Link luckily ran in and blocked the flames with his Hylian Shield, protecting Fox and Captain Falcon. Fox McCloud jumped over Link and pulled out his reflector, sending Giga Bowser's flames back at the beast. Though he did not flinch from the reflected attack, Giga Bowser received a consecutive amount of damage.

Little Mac, Inkling, and Mii Swordfighter began dodging Giga Bowser's flaming-black claws, attacking when there was a window available. Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Yoshi, and Lucario all lunged towards Giga Bowser's face and clawed at him. Trying to coat his shell with lightning, the creature's vision was blurred and violet flames curled up between his horns. Kirby quickly saw what was going to happen next if his friends didn't stop immediately and quickly ran up towards the beast.

As soon as Giga Bowser was ready to use his smash attack, all of the fighters quickly jumped behind the boss due to how slow he really was, allowing Kirby to pull out his flaming hammer. With one mighty swing to the head, the pink demon knocked out Giga Bowser. Pieces of the boss's head flew in separate directions, and there was an aura inside the abysmal beast's skull. The glowing-white aura revealed Bowser himself inside the boss, freed from a peculiar position of the Galeem Lock. All of Giga Bowser's fragments of the Smash Ball in the white mist and the Master Legendary Dark Lord Spirit all flew into Kirby. Another vision sparked up inside the pink puffball as he saw the Final Destination falling back into the castle with waves of lava pushed outward, the Smashers running close to Bowser's body, and Giga Bowser's corpse collapsing.

* * *

Kirby touched the Smash Ball on his forehead again, noticing the golden eyes and rainbow Aura around his pink body. The nest Kirby was in looked rather familiar as he looked around the cave, with a bonfire providing light in the comfortable home. The two dragons Metallio and Toropikaru waited outside in the middle of the night for their children, knowing they can use their sense and magic to find their way back home.

Ultima was the first one to arrive, and she appeared in the blink of an eye right in front of her parents. As the bonfire provided enough illumination, Metallio and Toropikaru were unfamiliar with one of their children after ten years of training. What once was their perfect little angel without a care in the world grew up into a strong and beautiful dragoness. Her raven-black scales dully reflected the light of the stars, with her golden eyes glowing faintly with the special powers of the Rainbolements bestowed upon her. Her wings shaped like glowing prisms arranged in a rainbow stretched twice as long as her body, and she was as big as her parents.

"Ultima?" Toropikaru asked. Ultima's eyes welled up with joy. She sighed in happiness, knowing she was finally back home after ten years. She sat on her hind legs and hugged her parents lovingly. Galeem and Phoenix also happened to arrive shortly after. Toropikaru and Metallio noticed their sons here as well, and the mother and father invited the two brothers in for a family hug.

"You did it," Metallio wept, embracing the comfort of his reunited children with Toropikaru. Galeem and Phoenix entered the den, starting to regain memories of home. Ultima was glad that everyone was back together at last.

"You three grew up fast," Toropikaru addressed, rubbing Ultima's face gently with her own claw. "It's amazing…"

"Of course it is," Ultima chuckled, whisking her mother's claw away. "I thought about Arcus every day we were at the camp."

"And it seems like the teachings of the Dragosmos finally helped you and your brothers become one of them," Metallio said.

"Not quite," Ultima answered. "Within a week, the Dragosmo Solstice begins. By that time, any dragon that has trained within the flying stadium will have to participate or spend another ten years stuck in the arena. Galeem, Phoenix, and I would have to work together in order to pull this off. To make both of you proud." Toropikaru draped a wing over Ultima's shoulder.

"We already are, regardless if you succeed or fail," Toropikaru said. Ultima nodded, walking into the den. She saw her brothers having fun as they were, and each one of them was messing around with their powers.

"Hey, hey!" Galeem laughed. "Look what I can do!" Galeem's eyes flashed a faint white before crisscrossing lines appeared in thin air. They covered a small radius, but they were big enough to reach Ultima. The black dragoness quickly ducked to avoid the glowing lines. Shortly after they had activated, they vanished.

"Take a look at this," Phoenix answered with a smug look non his face. Phoenix laid on his back and began shooting a fountain of purple bullets into the air. Once he was done, Toropikaru walked in.

"Outside. Now," the mother dragon answered strictly. "We don't want you to destroy our home." The two brothers willingly obeyed, walking outside of the den. Ultima followed them outside.

As soon as the three siblings were outside, Ultima dived towards her brothers and began hugging them tight. Galeem, Phoenix, and Ultima laughed as they rolled on the soft midnight grass, all three of them looking up at the stars.

"It's interesting how far we've come," Galeem told his brother and sister. "We've just traveled through space for ten years, and we couldn't even message our parents back home." Ultima then started thinking about what the Queen of the Winged Unicorns said about some sort of terrible faith. She the sat up and looked at her brothers Phoenix and Galeem.

"Phoenix? Galeem?" Ultima asked, looking down on the ground.

"Yes, Ultima?" Phoenix asked.

"Have you two gotten over your problems with how many friends you have?" Ultima asked.

"Of course we have," Galeem answered. "Our tutors taught us we were just overreacting. Why would you ask?"

Ultima sighed as she stared at her two brothers uncomfortably. "I… fear something may go horribly wrong if you two fight. I'm a bit worried about you…"

"It will be alright, Ultima," Phoenix responded. "Friends until the end, remember?"

"…I know," Ultima continued. "However, if you two are about to give in to your troubles, please don't fight over that. It could lead to more than just fighting for popularity…"

"It won't happen, Ultima," Galeem said, lying on his side while keeping his head upright. "You two are all that matter in my life…" Ultima cuddled close to her brothers, knowing that they can survive whatever threat that was warned of them. Kirby saw the environment glowing white again, and he instantly woke up.

* * *

The pink demon found himself waking up in Sheik's arms, and Peach was singlehandedly dragging Bowser's unconscious body. As you can tell, all of the fighters were escaping from the castle since Giga Bowser's corpse was rigged with a Subspace Bomb, and the explosion was swallowing everything.

All of the Smashers managed to escape from the castle and quickly took the waterfall back to take the wall to the light fissure bridge from before. Kirby quickly jumped out of Sheik's arms to see the violet explosion of Subspace engulf the whole castle, and it was dragging in everything in its radius. Bowser managed to wake up in time to see what happened.

* * *

Mario and his crew were finished clearing the last asteroid that cluttered the space zone without signs of other fighters. Suddenly, Snake and Joker saw on-screen that another vortex was sucking the Great Fox to itself, ready to kill off all its passengers.

"Something's happening!" Marth exclaimed. "Some sort of force is dragging us in!"

"Use all rockets and make sure they're blasting at maximum overdrive!" Falco answered, pressing buttons to start up the engines.

"Nothing's working!" Joker yelled, mashing as fast as he could to blast the engines. The Slippy Spirit, who was powering the Great Fox this whole time, abandoned the ship since there was nothing to do. As the Northern Barrier was being stripped apart by more pieces, the whole crew inside the Great Fox was ready to die, but Faker quickly grabbed Falco, Ice Climbers, Ryu, Snake, Mega Man, Pichu, Duck Hunt, Isabelle, Lucas, Donkey Kong, PAC-MAN, Olimar, Joker, Marth, and Mario. Using whatever powers she had, she blasted the whole team out of the ship, flying them all out of here with use of the Air, Thunder, and Magic Rainbolements to create a super-speedy warrior.

As Faker managed to save the whole gang from being sucked into Subspace, they all landed on the snowy mountain. From a safe distance, the fighters on that team all saw the Great Fox itself being dragged into a large explosion of Subspace, alongside hexagon-shaped pieces of the Northern Barrier. Once things seemed to have settled down and the Subspace blast vanished, all that remained was the Northern Barrier, which was now glowing red and pulsing faster.

"Looks like-a our friends managed to tear a bigger hole to the Galeem Void," Mario said to his friends. Afterwards, the Smashers saw the Eldest Fab Fairy flying to the gateway to the Sky Temple all the way west, unaware that she was accompanied by King Bulbin and his Bokoblin army.

"Now all we have to do is clear the light fissure and let our friends on the other team do the rest of the job," Mega Man said. "Let's go…" The team started climbing down the mountain, ready for the next step in their plan.

* * *

Deep in the Galeem Void, there was more light brightening up the black sky, and Galeem himself was watching with an eagle's eye. Not only had his only defenses been weakened, but the leader of one of the common enemies in Hyrule had turned against him. Enraged, the Search of Order slammed his glowing fist on the sleeves of his crystal throne.

It seemed the Super Smash Brothers were beating the Lord of Light at his own game.


	51. Pt 51: The Sky Temple

Once Mario, Joker, and the rest of their team took the stone paths downward back to the abandoned village where plenty of Spirits from the other town took refuge. They all quickly floated inside the houses once King Bulbin's army marched in. The group of fighters quickly ran to the Youngest and Middle Fab Fairies, who were already waiting at the gate, and tried to protect them.

"We know you're after us," Mega Man told the Bokoblins. "If you're looking for a fight, you've come to the right people."

"Listen, warriors," King Bulbin objected, both he and his troops lowering their weapons and easing their boars. "We come in peace now. We're turning against Galeem."

"And what makes you sure you're telling the truth?" Faker asked. The Eldest Fab Fairy levitated out of the Bokoblin army, safe and sound.

"Big sis!" the Youngest Fab Fairy squealed, rushing to the indigo-clothed fairy. The Middle Fab Fairy came with the little sister too. The Fab Fairies were reunited at last. When Mario and the team noticed that the Bokoblin army didn't attack, they looked at the Hyrulean monsters cautiously.

"We kept an oath that I will serve the one that has defeated me in a battle, fair and square, King Bulbin answered. "Turns out we now realize that Galeem cheated in the game of war…"

"Life isn't fair for any of us," Falco said. "Now let's get that gate open and benefit our friends during the plan." The fighters all walked towards the large gate, waiting for the three Fab Fairies to get into position.

Glittering sparkles began glowing from the Fab Fairies' fingertips as they got into their dance stances. Music played out of nowhere, and the three Spirits moved gracefully. The upbeat tempo of the music amped the three Fab Fairies into action. The sisters danced in their own movement in harmony: the youngest in a bossy attitude, the middle with a swanlike mood, and the eldest by a graceful manner.

Like ballerinas, the Fab Fairies moved to the beat of their own music. For no apparent reason, the Smashers decided to join with the dancing too. The way they moved matched the Fab Fairies perfectly, and it was probably because the music was catchy. Once the dancing was over, a large blast of confetti escaped from the Fab Fairies behind them in an explosion. The fighters stopped dancing and quickly reacted to the blast. Once the confetti explosion finished, the large gate slowly opened. The curse upon the entrance was lifted by the Fab Fairies, and bathed in a glorious light was the Sky Temple itself.

"This the place?" Snake asked.

"Yeah," Joker answered. The Sky Temple was decorated with decaying quartz pillars, with sheets of snow and ice covering the floor. Vines and flowers clogged the cracks on the path, untouched by the cold.

"Well, what are we waiting for!?" Isabelle asked, impatient. "Let's head inside and neutralize that light fissure! We have no time for dawdling!"

"Oh," Mario answered. "Right." Mega Man was the first to approach the Sky Temple. However, as soon as he took a step on the stone path, an barrage of light arrows flew towards him. The blue bomber didn't have time to react, but Joker quickly jumped in front of Mega Man and summoned Arsene by pulling off his mask.

"Makarakarn!" Joker called out, reflecting the barrage of light arrows. The projectiles targeted all the way back to the Sky Temple's entrance where they came from. There was an army of Light Puppets responsible for firing that rain of arrows. The warriors of purely focused light charged from the Sky Temple, ready to attack the fighters. King Bulbin and his Bokoblin soldiers marched in front of the Smashers, ready to take their lives.

"You're going to die out there!" Marth told the monster king. "Galeem will end your lives!"

"My time for serving those has come to an end," King Bulbin answered, pulling out his battle axe. "What matters is that you complete the mission and save us all." The Bokoblin armies began charging at the Light Puppets, attacking ferociously. A Light Puppet was about to murder the Smashers, but Faker used the Magic Rainbolement to instantly teleport the fighters to the entrance of the Sky Temple, which was unguarded.

"This way!" Faker called out, running into the temple. The three Fab Fairies flew into the Sky Temple's light. Looking back on the Bokoblins that were sacrificing their lives for the Super Smash Brothers to complete their mission, Mario, Donkey Kong, Ice Climbers, Pichu, Falco, Marth, Snake, Lucas, Olimar, Mega Man, PAC-MAN, Duck Hunt, Ryu, Isabelle, and Joker all ran into the Sky Temple behind Faker and the Fab Fairies.

With a flash of light, the Smashers saw the inside of the Sky Temple. There was a circle of pillars decaying into rubble, and a thin blanket of snow decorated the edges. In the center of the area was a glowing-green portal encased in ice, and up in the sky were floating ruins opaque enough to cover the sunlight.

"Well, we're here," Ryu said. "All we have to do is find a way to melt the ice covering the portal…"

"Maybe I can help," Faker answered. Using the Fire Rainbolement, the brown-skinned, dragon-armored warrior attempted on melting the ice. When she found out it had no effect, she used her newly-founded Water Rainbolement to shatter the ice, but she was unsuccessful too.

"Any bright ideas?" Joker asked.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Faker answered in frustration. "I'm not adjusted to these powers. Wish I still had my memory intact five years ago!" All of the fighters except for Joker were confused as to what she meant.

"Not now!" the Youngest Fab Fairy whined. "These fighters aren't ready yet to know the truth!"

"The truth…?" Marth asked. Joker sharply inhaled through his nose as he knew the jig was up.

"Joker?" Mario asked. "How long have you been in Gallia?" The Phantom Thief exhaled calmly as he turned around.

"I completely forgot to tell you guys…" Joker said. "You say you only have recollections of your past the day Galeem captured you, right?" The fighters nodded as their answer.

"I'm also betting you can't remember what happened before you were rescued," Joker continued. "The events of the light destroying everything: that all happened five years ago. The moment I woke up on this planet, I found four other survivors that made it just like me, and the Piranha Plant was found by our group in the form of nothing more than a special white flower. We were the only people on this planet, and we found wreckage of what appeared to be a gunship as our secret base. Once the Piranha Plant grew weeks later, we became tired of hiding in plain sight and went out into the world, where the flower learned how to become a fighter. We began learning a little more about all of the fallen fighters during our travels. After coming across a gang of Spirits possessing Supporters: Amaterasu, the Great Sage, Tingle, Flynn, E. Gadd, Sticks, Barbara the Bat, Jill, Saki Amamiya, the Excitebikes, Kat & Ana, Mr. Resetti, Ray MK III, Magnus, Infantry and Tanks, Elec Man, Helirin, and Lakitu, we created our band called the Forgotten Resistance.

"With enough teamwork, we rebuilt the wrecked gunship into the Undying Light, and we had been rescuing many Spirits while hiding in the shadows, where Galeem feared to enter. Five years later however, the Seraph of Order knew where the rebelling Spirits were hiding and sought to strike them down… until Kirby arrived. We all knew Kirby can help us in our mission, so us fighters had to depart ways. I only had access to my Personas for that amount of time and just lost them forever yesterday except for Arsene.

"We broke many Spirits out from their vessel prisons, knowing their real bodies will never be seen again until we complete our mission. The Forgotten Resistance has theorized there are mass-reproducing machines creating these servants like factories, and we are apparently right after what we've seen. It only took us five years to fight against these Primaries, finally strike against the light itself, and find Faker. She may be a simple tagalong for now, but I've got a gut feeling that she has something to do with this…"

As soon as the Phantom Thief finished, the Smashers now knew they had been waiting for five years for someone to rescue them before. Kirby was merely a distraction for the Forgotten Resistance, and the fallen warriors had been patient for half a decade, waiting for a glimpse of hope.

"Five… years…" Mario sighed, sitting down on a small boulder.

"It's probably not that bad," Marth answered with a fake laugh in his voice. Faker noticed the secret was out, but that didn't stop her from continuing the mission. The black-haired, brown-skinned warrior began using all of the Rainbolements to try and break the ice. Suddenly, a spinning cross was thrown in her direction, and the Middle Fab Fairy noticed.

"Faker!" the Middle Fab Fairy cried. Faker instantly ducked, and the Middle Fab Fairy fired an arrow at where the cross came from. She hit the target's knee, and all of the fighters noticed. Each one of the Smashers ran towards the intruder, including Faker and the Fab Fairies who were not technically fighters. Clenching his knee and wincing in pain was the Simon Primary himself.

"You people have made a grave mistake in attacking Trevor C. Belmont, one of the greatest vampire hunters that has ever lived!" the Simon Primary snapped. The Master Legendary Spirit known as Trevor C. Belmont was behind the possession of their friend.

"Oh, you looking for a fight?" Joker asked. "Whoever you really are, we accept your challenge!" The Simon Primary began throwing his axes, crosses, and bottles of holy water while swinging his Vampire Killer, watching for the incoming fighters. Joker luckily summoned Arsene to his side and used Makarakarn, which distracted smaller Smashers like Pichu and Isabelle to tackle the captured fighter. While the Simon Primary used his whip to block his reflected projectiles, Pichu climbed onto his face and jolted him while Isabelle jabbed at his feet. The Youngest Fab Fairy fired a magical arrow that caused the Simon Primary to dance in place, only for a reflected holy water bottle to crash at his feet. The flames emitted from the small puddle of holy water burned the captured fighter's feet, and he quickly recovered from his dancing curse.

As Faker began firing projectiles composed of icicles, the Simon Primary was trying to push through. Just then, Snake ran from behind the captured fighter and aimed his RPG downward. With a powerful blast, Snake knocked-out the Simon Primary. A flash of light flashed from the flying Belmont's body, and the wings of the Galeem Lock that had protected him were shattered without the roulette. The wings then disintegrated into the white mist, and the Trevor C. Belmont Spirit was freed. Simon's unconscious body then floated to the ground, slowly landing in the soft, cold snow. The other fighters ran towards the Belmont, who was starting to wake up.

"What… happened?" Simon asked.

"You're saved from Galeem," Marth answered. "Well, after five years of waiting for a hope of rescue…"

"Five years?" Simon asked again, only this time he was surprised. "Damn, I need to keep up with the times."

"There's no need to," Faker responded. "Look." The Smashers noticed the ice covering the portal was beginning to thaw, allowing them full access to what was apparently the way up to the floating island above them. Whatever they did, waking up Simon was somehow the event that had triggered the ice to melt. The portal then flashed brightly, with a green beacon flashing upward.

"Let's go," Joker said, walking into the portal. The green light wrapped around the Phantom Thief, and he dissolved as he was carried up to the floating island. Shortly after, the rest of his companions went through the portal with him.

All of the fighters, including Faker and the Fab Fairy Spirits, had finished teleporting. As soon as the green light that bathed them was gone, the Super Smash Brothers looked around. The floating island they were standing on had snow and vegetation on its stone ground, but there was a coliseum-like structure this time. The walls were icy with no way of melting them, and the only way in – a large, red door that lacked handles – was barred shut.

"Well… we'll go look for a switch to open the door," Faker said, the three Fab Fairies joining her side. "All of you fighters wait here…" The amnesiac warrior and the Spirits went to the east while all of the Smashers in the group rested near the door. Joker sat on the edge of the floating island portion of the Sky Temple. Mario walked towards the Phantom Thief.

"I'm sorry I… didn't tell you before," Joker told the red plumber. "I didn't think you would mind being locked away for five years. It's just… I wish I could've found you guys sooner…" Mario patted Joker's back, understanding how he feels.

"By the way," Joker continued, "we've come this far, so now would be the good time to tell you my name. Joker is simply my codename, but my real identity is Ren Amamiya."

"Interesting," Mario replied. "Snake's real name is actually David, so yours isn't a big secret to us. It was nice telling me, Ren." The two fighters then relaxed a bit at the edge, looking down upon the entirety of the island. The light fissure covered the whole sky, so it was hard to make out what is on the other side of the island outside of distance mountains. Snake then approached the warriors, signaling them.

"Faker and the pixies found the switch," Snake told the fighters. "The gate's open." Joker and Mario then got up from their positions and ran towards the mercenary and the rest of their friends, standing in front of the now-unlocked door. Faker and the three Fab Fairies joined the group, ready to walk in. Once the fighters got past the door, they saw that inside the coliseum were decaying and toppled quartz pillars with a staircase of stone leading to the top. At the top, in the middle of a stone hoop was a diamond the size of Isabelle's head. The gem was glowing the same golden color as the light fissure, clearly proving this was the source of the geysers erupting from the chasm.

While the Smashers walked toward the stone hoop, Joker approached from another area at the stairs since they circled around the diamond. The Phantom Thief then stepped on something that made a squishy noise. The sound was faint and wasn't recognized by the other fighters, but Ren was the only one that heard it. Joker then looked down at his feet to see a small puddle just the size of his leather boot. What appeared was a puddle of bubblegum-colored slime that appeared to be quite random and out of the ordinary.

"Ew," Joker whispered in disgust.

"Joker!" Snake called out. Ren looked back at his friends who were already at the diamond.

"Coming, David!" Joker answered, sliding his boot on the stone floor. He managed to scrape off the peculiar substance off his tracks and continue on with his mission. However, when the Phantom Thief and his friends weren't looking, the slime puddle looked at them with a single eye. The eye itself had a slit pupil and was light green in color, but it moved as though it was watching. The slime with the eye, as though it had a mind of its own, slithered away, not bothering taking advantage over the fighters.

"We got this," Popo said to the gang, ready to grab the diamond from its position with Nana. Using their icy powers, the Ice Climbers approached the gemstone, it's temperature pulsing hotter. Apparently even with their elemental skills, the diamond was hot enough to melt through the ice and heat up their fur gloves. Nana and Popo quickly backed away, trying to cool down their gloves by waving them up and down.

"…Maybe fire might work since I can use fire," Mario answered. However, even the red plumber wasn't immune to the diamond's heat as he tried bursting fire through his white gloves and attempted to grab the jewel. Mario backed away too, wincing in pain as he tried to calm his burned hands down.

"This is taking way too long," Simon sighed. The Belmont then pulled out his Vampire Killer, ready to break the diamond. With one swing, Simon whipped his Vampire Killer. However, some sort of strange force emitted from the diamond seemed to hold the spiked end of the chain whip in place.

"What the-?" Simon asked, pulling to get his weapon away from the gemstone. The whole team saw what the Belmont was trying to do and grabbed onto his waist, pulling hard on the whip. Once it snapped loose, the fighters all saw who appeared to be the Pit Primary, who turned invisible and managed to successfully catch the spiked end of the Vampire Killer. An image of the Spirit appeared on Pit's chest, revealing it to be the Chariot Master, owner of the Lightning Chariot.

"Did you really think you could break this kind of resource?" the Pit Primary asked in a raspy, ghostly voice. "One that protects Lord Galeem from your ravaging hands?"

"Beat it, old man," Joker answered, pulling out his knife. "We're here to do out mission and save everyone on this planet, including you. So get out the way and let us destroy that diamond."

"Never!" the Pit Primary snapped, blue flames illuminating from the imprisoned angel. Broken battle armor appeared on the captured fighter's body, and his twin blades formed a baton of lightning when he spinned their handles together with his hand.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Joker finished, snapping his fingers. From the Phantom Thief's hands was the Eiha spell. The flames were about to hit the Pit Primary, but he quickly pulled out his Guardian Orbiters and reflected the flame, sending it back at the Phantom Thief.

"Get… him…" Joker winced, trying to handle the slight pain from his countered spell. The fighters started running towards the captured fighter, crowding over the Pit Primary. Despite having such cool powers in his blades, the Chariot Master was possessing the body of Pit, meaning that he had all of Pit's strengths and weaknesses, allowing him to get bodied easily. Even then, Galeem's powers were growing weaker, meaning that most of the Primaries and their Supporters couldn't even summon their challengers to other stages.

Once Donkey Kong was ready to unleash his fully-charged wind-up punch, the Pit Primary quickly grabbed ahold of the gorilla's fist. With a powerful kick, the captured fighter knocked Donkey Kong into Mario, unaware that he was leaving open room for Joker to run in and slash his neck. Joker took advantage of that and quickly sliced the Pit Primary's neck, winning the battle. A white light flashed on Pit's body, and the Galeem Lock was shattered without the roulette. The white mist and the Chariot Master Spirit were free at last, and they quickly flew out into the land down below. All that remained was Pit's unconscious body.

The diamond the fighters were trying to destroy in the first place had shattered into millions of fragments, with its energy flying free. A large booming soundwave echoed throughout the island. Whatever the fighters did probably was important to crossing over the light fissure. An incoming call was picked up by Mario's device, which was with him this whole time.

"This is the Undying Light," Barbara spoke through the transmitter. "Did you do your part in the mission?"

"We got to the Sky Temple!" Mario answered. "The mission was a success!"

"Wait right here before we pick you up," Barbara finished. "By the time you get on the ship, you'll find it… a little bit changed." The second Barbara the Bat finished, a large ship instantly warped in front of the floating island. The whole group was surprised to find the ship itself had gotten an improved upgrade. The Undying Light's hull was shinier and tougher, with the ship itself double its original size. All of the clunky engines were tossed out, and it seemed to have three cannons attached to it. Looks like all of that extra work in Toadette's mines seemed to have improved on the ship's budget. A steel bridge extended from the top, landing on the stone ground.

"Hurry up already!" Sticks the Jungle Badger's Spirit called out from the deck. "These feet aren't gonna walk themselves!" Faker and the Fab Fairies entered the bridge, with Mario, Marth, Joker carrying Pit's body, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Lucas, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, Pichu, Mega Man, Snake, Ryu, Ice Climbers, Falco, and Simon following behind them. As soon as the ship drew in its bridge, the Undying Light flew away by a few meters.

"Pit's going to be okay," Magnus told the group while he and Saki Amamiya were helping carry Pit's body. "All he needs is a little rest." Once the two Spirits helped transfer the unconscious angel to his room, Mario looked out into the distant land, watching the light geysers start to decay.

"It's up-a to you to finish the job, Kirby," Mario said.

* * *

Far off in the island, Kirby, Piranha Plant, Villager, Sheik, Captain Falcon, Mii Swordfighter, Link, Fox, Dr. Mario, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Inkling, Jigglypuff, Yoshi, Lucario, Pikachu, Peach, and Bowser all sat near the bridge to cross the light fissure, which was still blocked off at the time.

"…Was I really transformed into a hideous, mutated version of myself?" Bowser asked Peach. "Now that I think about it, I instantly don't want to remember it…"

"The light!" Kirby spoke out, still struggling with talking. Pointing with his stubby arm, the pink demon alerted his friends about the geysers they were standing in front of this whole time. The flaming pillars had drastically shrinked, and the light fissure had stopped glowing as brightly. There now were no flames blocking the bridge.

"It's finally gone," Gilbert sighed, being the first to run towards the bridge. The moment the ex-Ultimate Reborn had set foot, it was cooling down. Each of the fighters then followed after the Mii Swordfighter, ready to take on the challenges of the other side.

* * *

Watching in the darkness of the Galeem Void, the black background was starting to become lighter in contrast of color, with clouds floating around faintly. The Seraph of Order himself growled with a dragon's breath, watching as the light fissure had calmed down by that shattered diamond. He then turned to King Bulbin and his Bokoblin men, who were standing weaponless and surrounded by the Light Puppets and Kirby Supporters. Erupting like a volcano, Galeem stuck out his hand and cast out a large flame that packed as much destruction as a pound of dynamite that had only reached to the feet of the Bokoblins.

"You had promised me you would stop the Super Smash Brothers from reaching me!" Galeem snarled. "For five years, I had feared of the day that these weaklings would retaliate!"

"That was our original command," King Bokoblin answered, "but they helped us open our eyes. Each king of the Bokoblins of Hyrule was destined to serve those that have defeated them in a fair battle, and you did NOT play fair." Galeem left his glowing fists to curl up into balls, and the celestial being quickly snapped his fingers. Calling to his side was another Master Hand, though it lacked the golden aura the original Master Hand of Arcadia sported. Once the Lord of Light transformed into a black hole, the Master Hand's blue Swarms were drawn into the vortex. Out from the hole was the concentrated light beams, which curved in and obliterated all of King Bulbin's army in one shot. After the Master Hand transformed back to normal, King Bulbin and the Bokoblins were nothing more than Normal Novice Spirits.

The Master Hand then used the light of Galeem to call out its brother from its own shadow: the Crazy Hand. With one rip through space, the Hands had transported the Hyrulean monsters to the Dark Dimension. Once the rip was gone, the Light Puppets had departed back into the World of Light. Tabuu, who was beginning to ache from the Chains of Light binding him after so long, slowly approached the Seraph of Order.

"Tell me, Tabuu: are you afraid to die…?" Galeem asked calmfully.

"That depends on what you're dying for…" Tabuu answered.

"These fighters look like they would never give up," Galeem continued. "They would still keep on fighting for their reasons and their reasons alone. Balder! Flowey!" The Lord of Light had called out Balder and Flowey, who had just appeared at the foot of his crystal throne, walking on dusty ground.

"Kirby and his friends are going to finish their mission," Galeem ordered them. "Do not screw this up or you will suffer like King Bulbin and the Werewolf before you." Without question, Balder and Flowey bowed, departed with their tasks.

"Two down, two to go," Galeem sighed. "These Smashers will change my servants' ways apparently. Sooner or later, they will all fall into a trap: one that none of us can overcome even with our combined strength…"

"Even more powerful than the one you had locked up in the Dark Dimension…?" Tabuu asked. The Seraph of Order gazed away for a while, not bothering to answer the Construct God's question.

* * *

Deep inside the Dark Dimension, King Bulbin and his Bokoblins were starting to wake up, and each one of them saw nothing but darkness for as far as the eye can see. The glowing-blue Spirits saw the green aura of the Werewolf, who was suspending in a floating animation as well. From the lycanthrope's eyes were pure terror of the face of someone who hasn't slept in days.

"More visitors from the outside world," a slightly deepened, calm voice spoke out. The pale-green eye from before looked over the team of castaways trapped with him, a low boom echoing throughout the pitch blackness.

"I see more guests from Gallia had dropped into my party," the eye spoke.

"Whatever you did to the Werewolf, you're not going to do to us!" King Bulbin snarled, clenching his fists. However, the eye simply laughed in a raspy tone.

"I beg to differ," the eye continued. "What I will do to you all will be much… much worse than what Galeem had ever did. These fighters will venture into the darkness eventually, unaware of the shadows that are ready to strike them. This darkness will spread to every corner of the multiverse, and the bargain with the Mother will be over…"

* * *

Back at the floating island portion of the Sky Temple, the bubblegum-colored slime that Joker had stepped on before oozed out from a cracked rock, looking around the clear coast with its slit eye. Once everything had seemed peaceful, the slime slithered to a figure of black smoke hiding behind a decaying quartz pillar. A crystalized hand slowly extended out from the black mist, allowing the slime to crawl on to the palm. Green pupils with slits glowed through the black mist, its blood-red sclera gleaming faintly. All that followed from the figure was nothing but silence.


	52. Pt 52: When Jealousy Takes Over

Kirby and the gang had managed to cross to the other side of the light fissure, looking at the world set before them. What they saw was a drier version of the much greener forest, meaning there were fewer plants around and the sun was hotter. Right in front of them was a black, techno-styled maze with neon blue lights on the edges. There seemed to be no other way around this other than going through.

"Well, we're finally here," Fox told the gang. "It was a long and perilous journey, but we did it."

"I guess all that remains is to travel through the maze, head through the seaside town and jungle, travel through the desert and sky islands, sail the ocean, and reach the island of the Rathalos," Sheik answered. "Shouldn't be too hard, right?" Fox McCloud was ready to take a step into the techno maze before a fully-charged shot blasted right at him in a straight line.

"Fox! Look out!" Peach cried, alerting the Star Fox mercenary. Fox quickly pulled out his reflector and countered the shot, sending it back in the direction it was blasted from. The shot hit its target, and everyone seemed to be aware of their attack.

"Alright, pal!" Bowser growled, his mouth heating up with flames. "You better show yourself! We're ready for you!" Once all of the Smashers got into their battle positions, a familiar shape jumped out from behind a boulder. Following the landing, the attacker revealed itself to be the Samus Primary. Charging in behind her was a large gang of captured Brawlers and Gunners as well as more Kirby Supporters.

"Flee from the terror that is Gandrayda!" the Samus Primary snapped, revealing a magenta-colored humanoid pulsing with lightning in the image of the Master Legendary Spirit. "You weaklings better pay for setting foot on the other side!" Kirby wasted no time in hearing nothing but boastful monologue and charged straight at her, his dash attack engulfed in flames. The Samus Primary quickly got up and began struggling as Kirby grabbed her by the neck with his stubby hands. Some of the remaining magic of the Galeem Lock managed to create another vortex which sucked both Kirby and the Samus Primary in, leaving the rest of his gang to fight the possessed Mii Fighters and Kirby Supporters.

* * *

The pink puffball started to wake up, seeing that he was trapped deep underground with a lake of acid underneath the Final Destination-like stage. It was a replica of Brimstar. The Samus Primary, now coated in electricity like Gandrayda, used a dash attack on Kirby. The single hit sent Kirby falling onto his soft, squishy back.

The captured fighter was merciless in her barrage of attacks, shooting out nothing but bombs and heat-seeking missiles. Kirby could do nothing by this strong force except for using his Stone ability, which made him immobile but gave him super armor for a while. Once the Samus Primary got close enough to grab the pink demon with a grappling plasma whip, Kirby quickly transformed back to normal and sucked up the captured fighter. This allowed Samus' Fighter Spirit to enter into the body of Kirby through the Copy Ability. The pink puffball's mind went dark afterwards, and the bounty hunter took over.

Samus was now inside Kirby's body, and her signature helmet covered the pink demon's body. The possessed pink puffball began firing charged shots and missiles at the Samus Primary. Try as the captured fighter may, she could not manage to jump over the wall of explosives. It wasn't long enough before she shielded to avoid the damage. However, all the damage the projectiles were doing to the shields caused the spherical shield to shrink until it eventually shattered. With the opponent now dizzy, the possessed Kirby walked up to the captured fighter. As though the arm cannon was there regardless of there being a stubby arm, Samus' Fighter Spirit charged up a forward smash and instantly knocked out the Samus Primary.

The Shadow Bugs that had made up the background scattered and surrounded the two fighters. The Gandrayda Spirit, trying to escape from her current vessel, pulled up the blue barrier forged from the Galeem Lock. Kirby aimed carefully with the Spirit Sniper, which was fueled with Samus' real Spirit.

* * *

Back near the maze, Bowser, Peach, Pikachu, Lucario, Yoshi, Jigglypuff, Inkling, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Fox, Captain Falcon, Mii Swordfighter, Link, Villager, Sheik, and Piranha Plant were struggling against the incoming forces from the corrupted Brawlers and Gunners as well as the Kirby Supporters. Trying to hold them back with powerful punches, kicks, and projectiles, each one of the fighters was backing into the maze's entrance. Clementine noticed there were far too many of them as she kept throwing her Splat Bombs but more kept coming. She quickly grabbed Gilbert and dragged him in for safety.

"Fall back!" Gilbert the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn called out.

"But what about Kirby and Samus!?" Peach asked, pelting the troops with rotting turnips.

"There's no time!" Sheik answered, quickly grabbing Peach by the hip and helping get everyone into the maze. After all the Smashers retreated into the location, the forces sent by Galeem were about to follow them in. However, one possessed Mii Gunner stopped the marching band by throwing a flame onto the ground.

"Forget it, bubs," the corrupted male Gunner spoke. "They won't even last a day in that labyrinth, and we won't bother wasting any more of our people. Let's just leave it to Balder and the Shadow Bug Trigger…" Just like that, the captured Mii Fighters and Kirby Supporters that had survived the onslaught retreated across the light fissure bridge.

* * *

Kirby woke up to the celebrating voices of other beings, with fireworks exploding in the sky. As the pink puffball's touched the Smash Ball on his forehead once more, he saw that the streets were familiar… almost like the second time he had experienced the vision when he had rescued the Villager. It was supposedly the city of Civiltatula, though there seemed to be slightly more buildings littered with nests.

The pink alien saw the gathering crowd of dragons of all sorts of species, crowding over the large stump. Kirby had noticed a large curtains made out of stitched leaves behind the stump, and he quickly made it over there since he floated through the dragons like a ghost. When Kirby peaked through, he saw, Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix putting on special armor when all of the other Dragosmos were ready before they came onstage. For Phoenix, he had purple armor with a gelatin-like texture. For Galeem, his neckwear and helmet ranged from neon pink to deep blue, all flowing like through like a spectrum. Ultima was wearing an outfit fit for a warrior princess, with a titanium helmet and a brass chest plate.

Ultima peaked outside, watching as the next contestants for the Dragosmo Solstice participated. There was an irregularity about the contestants since there were actually an uncommon species of conjoined dragons, with the right side of their shared body colored with a fire-red texture and the left side a water-blue. Regardless, this was quite common in the world of dragons as the two-headed Dragosmo finished with a bang of ice and fire.

"You can do this, Ultima," Ultima told herself as the crowd cheered. "This is your chance to prove you're worthy as a defender of Arcus." Galeem then approached her and placed a paw on her back. The spectrum-winged dragoness saw her two brothers behind her.

"Not like you guys would understand since we'll have our butts back in school for another ten years if we screw up since they are technically finals," Ultima answered.

"Hey, stick together till the end, remember?" Galeem asked. "Don't worry. We'll put on a show for them."

"And now," Lord Ceresor spoke out from the front of the stage, guarded by his sons Sozo and Hakai in their armor, "we are ready to announce the last three contestants to do their best and earn the title of Defenders of Arcus. Please give a handout to one of the quieter, but most powerful, Phoenix!" There was nothing but silence from the crowd, and the only people that seemed to cheer for Phoenix were Metallio and Toropikaru. Regardless, the black-armored dragon with violet wings ignored all this.

"I guess this is my cue," Phoenix said, ready to step onto the stage.

"Remember: speak with the heart. Knock them dead out there," Ultima cheered. Phoenix looked back, giving off a small smile as he knew what his sister meant. Once Phoenix walked onto the stage, he instantly knew the past week of training. After taking off into the sky like a bullet, Phoenix began his act.

Phoenix first used his claws to rip a large red "X" in the sky. The black dragon then started breathing out four violet fireballs, which each traveled to different ends of the shape. Once they had exploded, Phoenix coated his wings with electricity and began zipping around. A barrage of purple pellets became suspended in midair as Phoenix gorged many different shapes out of them. For his finishing act of dancing in the skies, Phoenix sent out projectiles of fire, earth, thunder, life, air, water, and magic and combined them into an explosion of spectacle.

After Phoenix landed on the ground, he looked at the crowd to see that they were silent this whole time. There was the occasional cough from someone in the audience, and the only people that cheered him on were the mother and father. It wasn't long until the crowd of dragons began booing and jeering for how terrible he had preformed.

"Boo! You stink!" one dragon called out while throwing an apple core at Phoenix's face. Tears began welling up in the eyes of the black dragon, and he ran back behind the stage, embarrassed. Even if he had friends, Phoenix was somehow a disappointment.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, people of Arcus," Lord Ceresor coughed. "He is still just a rookie."

"A terrible one at that!" another dragon from the audience complained. "He spent ten years in your school's care for this?"

"Let us just…move on and continue to the next contender," Ceresor answered. "Next up is the brother of our recent participant, but hopefully many times better. Here we have Galeem!"

"Wish me luck, sis," Galeem told Ultima, unaware of how heartbroken Phoenix became. The white dragon with blue-and-orange wings walked up onto the stage, and there were already thousands of dragons cheering him.

Galeem first took off into the air, moving through the sky coated in golden flames. He then began creating leaves and flowers out of thin air, with his wings flapping them towards the crowd. He then breathed out an electrical sphere of light that split into four and danced around him. Crystals also materialized out of him, with small flames emitting light out of them. The audience continued cheering for more, and Galeem continued showing off his abilities.

Kirby, as he was watching Galeem's presentation, suddenly noticed a small bubblegum-colored slime that looked nearly identical to the one Joker came across in the Sky Temple, though the pink puffball himself did not know that. The slime watched through a bush behind the stage where no one seemed to notice, but its single slit eye managed to get a good view of Galeem. Only Kirby seemed to pay attention to the slime before turning back on Ultima and Phoenix, simply regarding the hiding slime as one of the out-of-the-norm things he thought was harmless and quite random.

"I can tell things didn't go so smoothly, didn't they?" Ultima asked. Phoenix tried holding in his tears, but the heartbreak he went through only released them as they dropped from his face.

"It is not fair," Phoenix cried. "Why am I the only one to suffer? What did I do to deserve this torment?" As the crowd cheered, Phoenix peeked out from the stitched-leaves curtain to watch Galeem wow pretty much the entire city of Civiltatula with his magic acts.

For a final trick, Galeem rose into the air and did something that was never seen by dragons before. A golden aura of light was glowing right behind the white dragon, and he was levitating without the need of his wings or his Rainbolements. Galeem then opened his eyes, and there was a drastic color in them. Instead of the ordinary red eyes Galeem had all his life now existed fiery orbs with as enough color as the sun itself, gleaming golden with black markings, and a white iris surrounding each of his slit pupils was present. A shockwave blasted through the stage, and Galeem glowed with a beautiful and radiant light, with the crystals he called out before basking the crowd in rainbows.

Phoenix, for the first time, felt something spark up within him. As long as he had watched Galeem woo the crowd of dragons with his impressive new abilities to spark light, Phoenix knew he could not hold that feeling any longer. It was the feeling of jealousy of Galeem's attention, though something was… off. Whatever it was, Phoenix knew this was the last straw.

"Phoenix, don't go up there!" Ultima exclaimed, trying to hold Phoenix back with her Magic Rainbolement telekinesis ability. However, Phoenix's will was too strong to hold onto as he simply shrugged the telekinesis and stormed on stage. Ultima watched from the sidelines as Phoenix waked onto the stump, ignoring the crowd booing that he was in Galeem's spotlight. Ultima quickly ran towards Ceresor and his sons, watching the disarray take place.

Phoenix flew into the sky, gliding up to Galeem's level on the white dragon's right side. For whatever reason, the emotions took over Phoenix's mind and he allowed a darkened storm cloud to form right behind him. The black dragon opened his eyes, and what remained of those purple orbs now shone eyes that gleamed in a moon-blue color with golden irises. The dragons began panicking in fear from the storm cloud, unaware of what was going on.

"I have had just about enough of your tomfoolery!" Phoenix snarled in a harsh voice, pointing his fore claw at his own brother.

"You are ruining my limitless possibilities, Phoenix," Galeem strictly answered. "These people need me."

"They know nothing about how horrible and selfish you are!" Phoenix objected, light violet flames leaking out his mouth. "I am supposed to be the one worthy of holding all the attention, and it is because of your innocence that I always get either abandoned or spat in the face from dragons I do not know!"

"Maybe it is because of your looks, and even they disgust me," Galeem growled, golden flames heating up his mouth. "This world would probably be better without you in it." Ultima could not handle her brothers fighting over the public control, so she quickly flew up to her brothers.

"Galeem! Phoenix! Stop it this instant!" Ultima yelled, watching most of the dragons in the audience flying away.

"It is not my fault I am the one out of place!" Phoenix exclaimed, the dark storm cloud growing behind him. "You may not see it, but you are rigging my life just so you can remain in control!"

"You take that back!" Galeem snarled, the light aura glowing brighter. Ultima knew she couldn't take it anymore, so she tried to force her brothers to stop fighting.

"Stop it right now!" Ultima snapped, conjuring up special energy in her wings. The energy that spiked up appeared in a similar design to Tabuu's wings. However, during Ultima's attack from her wings, Galeem and Phoenix acted in self-defense, and the both of them struck her at the exact same time. The attack similar to Tabuu's Off-Waves preformed by Ultima was already unleashed, knocking Phoenix and Galeem back onto the ground. The dark storm cloud and the light aura had also collided to create an explosion in the air, decorating the blue sky with ashes.

Once the dust had settled, Galeem and Phoenix slowly got back up, realizing their eye color has gone back to normal. Sozo and Hakai had protected their elderly father from the encounter with their scarred wings. Ceresor then ran towards Ultima, who was lying wounded on the ground. The patterns faded from her wings. She was starting to wake up, but her own blood was in her eyes.

"Quickly," Lord Ceresor said. "Remember the powers of the Life Rainbolement." Ultima quickly placed her front paws on her face. Green light flashed from her face, and she stopped bleeding. All that remained were two claw marks struck vertically on her face where her brothers attacked her. On the right side of her face was Phoenix's mark, which gave an eerie violet glow, and the left side was Galeem's mark that was gleaming golden. The crowd members that did not flee yet were terrified by what they had seen.

"Attention, those of you that are still around," Lord Ceresor addressed, pushing a wounded Ultima up. "The Dragosmo Solstice is cancelled this year. We will take care of everything in the meantime…" Kirby, frightened, then looked at the same bush the bubblegum slime was hiding in, watching it retreat back into the forest as fast as possible, vanishing without a trace. The pink puffball's then clenched onto his forehead, in pain. The environment turned white, and the vision was over.

* * *

Kirby woke up near the entrance to the maze. The pink puffball was starting to feel himself get tapped by Samus, who quickly brought him back to his senses. The two fighters started looking around and noticed all of the defeated Mii Fighters and Kirby Supporters lying near the maze's entrance, and that none of their friends were nowhere to be found.

"Your buddies probably ran in there," Samus said, pointing towards the entrance. The suited bounty hunter started running towards the techno maze, but she suddenly felt something grab her leg. It was a red Kirby Supporter that snagged onto her leg. It tried to attack and throw her on the ground since it was technically under Galeem's control. As soon as Samus was ready to attack the Supporter, Kirby himself was starting to feel sympathy towards the enemy. The pink puffball quickly ran in front of the Kirby Supporter before Samus could even begin to attack, ready to protect.

"Poyo poyo!" Kirby said, watching the puppet fighter struggle. Because of the attacks that had mortally wounded the other troops, the red Kirby Supporter was ignored and believed to have died. For whatever reason, Kirby sensed a strong connection towards the puppet fighter and wished for it to be spared.

"He's an enemy," Samus said. "That puppet fighter tried to attack me." When the pink demon looked back on the surviving Kirby Supporter, he noticed it was trying to stand up and fight but could not since it was badly wounded. Bleeding cuts and bruises covered the Kirby Supporter, and it was starting to cry from how painful it was. In an act of mercy, Kirby spared the puppet fighter.

"Poyo," Kirby said, lifting up the red Kirby Supporter and placed his stubby arm behind the puppet fighter's back. Samus, though not understanding what Kirby was speaking in his own language, knew what the pink puffball was expressing through gestures. That Kirby Supporter did not want to die unlike any other clone of Galeem's armies, meaning it was nothing more than a coward from the seraph's eyes. The longer Samus stared at Kirby taking sympathy on the puppet fighter, the more she remembered a similar situation when she had to raise the last Metroid on her own.

"Fine," Samus sighed in annoyance. "But don't blame me when that minion kills you in your sleep." The bounty hunter then traveled through the maze, with Kirby helping the puppet fighter stand on its feet. The red Kirby Supporter did not act very trustworthy, and it looked at the pink demon with the glowing-red eyes on every clone in the Army of Light. Regardless, it needed medical help. So Kirby helped the puppet fighter through the maze, hoping to meet up with the other fighters trapped in this techno labyrinth.


	53. Pt 53: The Techno Maze

Trapped inside the futuristic maze, the rest of Kirby's friends walked through the strange room. What they had noticed was that it was all just one straight line guided by the blue lines on the top. The path itself also had no ceiling, allowing the team to get a clear view of the sky.

"This is the maze those Mii Fighters were talking about?" Fox asked. "This is gonna be easy to walk through."

"Careful," Link answered, scanning Piranha Plant with his Sheikah Slate. "According to the Piranha Plant's memories, the Forgotten Resistance has traveled through here and, despite what it seems, is constantly changing. Keep your eyes open." Peach, feeling insecure, held Bowser's hand. Even though the Koopa King had kidnapped her multiple times, she knew how much he cared for her and would be trustworthy on multiple occasions. However, she suddenly felt like she was going to trip. Before Bowser was about to tighten his grip, the princess slipped through a turquoise, pixelated portal on the floor that vanished as fast as it appeared.

"Uh oh," Bowser gasped. The other Smashers heard the Koopa King and quickly turned around.

"What do you mean 'uh oh?'" Gilbert asked. Suddenly, the Mii Swordfighter noticed Peach was missing.

"Where's Peach…?" he asked. Before Bowser was about to answer, another pixelated portal of the same color appeared under his feet, warping him away from the group. The other fighters had just noticed that as well. Dr. Mario disappeared first, then Villager vanished too. One by one, each of the fighters were being teleported away from their comrades until they vanished from the room. After what had occurred, the teammates were all in different rooms with several corners.

"Is anyone here!?" Lucario called, sensing his friends trapped in multiple parts of the labyrinth landscape.

"We can hear you," Little Mac said.

"Present," Captain Falcon answered.

"We're going to die in here!" Peach cried.

"Princess!" Fox exclaimed. "No one's going to die! Everyone follow each other's voices and we should meet up at the exit!" The Star Fox mercenary proceeded to continue down the path he was stuck on. The other fighters knew they had to continue walking through the techno maze if they needed to reunite, so they all traveled through the rooms.

Pikachu kept on skipping across the path until he found the Piranha Plant. But when the two teammates ran towards each other, Pikachu was instantly teleported to another room. In another location, Little Mac saw Dr. Mario. The tiny boxer dashed towards the doctor clone before he was teleported to another location. Sheik and the Wii Fit Trainer both saw Lucario, and the Aura Pokémon quickly disappeared via portal as fast as the two female fighters saw him. One by one, each of the Smashers kept running towards each other in different portals, but they all ended up being teleported to different rooms. Those portals appeared on the floor at random. Even if they jumped, they would still be sucked into a room shortly after.

"Guys, let's just give up! We're going nowhere," Gilbert told his friends, hoping they could hear the Mii Swordfighter's message even though they were feet away from him. "This maze has a mind of its own, and it will try to keep us separate at all costs." As soon as the ex-Ultimate Reborn finished, he was instantly teleported to another room.

"We don't have to give up hope," Fox McCloud reassured. "If we're all lucky, we can make it through this…"

* * *

At the entrance of the maze, Samus was holding her arm cannon upright, looking around for any sense of danger. Struggling behind the bounty hunter was Kirby, who was busy carrying a red, wounded Supporter clone of himself. The puppet fighter was slowly opening its eyes, those glowing-red orbs trying to make sense of its current environment. It was still set to attack the fighters, but it could not move since its soft body was beaten up senselessly.

"…Poyo," Kirby said to Samus, trying to keep the Kirby Supporter on its toes.

"I know, kid," Samus renowned. "We have to find your friends first. Can anyone hear me?" Much to her surprise, the other fighters could hear her.

"We're trapped in many different rooms, and there are portals that teleport us at random," Peach explained.

"Okay… just stay in your spots, everyone," Samus reassured the teammates. "Once I get over there, I'll get you people out of this place, even if those portals drag me to a random room." Once she finished, another portal appeared below her feet. Seeing the bounty hunter about to disappear, Kirby quickly held the wounded puppet fighter by the arm and jumped into the portal that was about to close. The pink puffball managed to take the Kirby Supporter with him.

Afterwards, Samus and the two Kirbies appeared in a different room, which was much wider than the rest. There was a black roof over the portion of the maze, and blue florescent lights flashed in circles going inwards in the center of the room. Standing in that center was Balder himself. By his side was the Mr. Game & Watch Primary, whose monochromatic outline was tinted in red with the white aura since he did not appear to have eyes.

"You really won't give up on your mission, won't you?" Balder asked.

"Move it," Samus snapped. "We are finding a way out of this maze and there is nothing you can do to stop us."

"Clearly you don't know how this maze thinks unlike the others," Balder answered. "I don't really have time to bore you with lollygagging. So instead I guess I can finish you off. Yes… you, the legendary pink puffball, and the puppet fighter you oh so desired to drag along." The wounded Kirby Supporter glared with its red eyes, still struggling to break free from Kirby's loving grasp.

"Oh yes," Balder chuckled, admiring how that red Supporter came to be on their side. "An interesting decision you mortals have made… I suppose now I'll have to kill you. Take care of the bounty hunter, Duon."

"…Duon?" Samus asked. The bounty hunter saw Shadow Bugs start to flow out of the Mr. Game & Watch Primary. Because of the peculiar properties in the monochromatic being's body, this was possible for him to hold all those Shadow Bugs. As soon as the Shadow Bug clusters formed into a decent size, the shape solidified and showed a two-sided robot whose bodies shared a pair of wheels in the pattern of yin and yang: one body was blue and wielded a sword, and the other was pink and sported an arm cannon.

"Yes. Duon," Balder answered, slowly approaching Kirby and the wounded puppet. The Shadow Bug robot sounded a metallic roar, shaking the ground the other fighters were standing on. The blue side of Duon started slashing with its sword-like appendage, keeping its eye on Samus who was curling up into her ball form. She then started jumping above the swinging blade, kicking powerfully. The bounty hunter quickly grabbed ahold onto the blue head and started using her arm cannon, with flames burning out of the weapon. The pink side of Duon noticed the blue side being attacked, so it took control of their shared wheels and started spinning around rapidly while firing a rain of missiles into the air. Samus quickly jumped out of the way, watching as the conjoined robots were starting to get hurt from their own explosives.

Balder was starting to approach Kirby and the broken Supporter, pulling out a golden sword.

"Shall we make this quick then…?" Balder asked. Kirby did not want to see the puppet fighter get more damaged as it already is, so the pink puffball quickly stood in front of the red clone of himself. Balder began slashing with that sword of his, and Kirby quickly pulled out his mallet, the dull thud clanging against the unnatural metal. Balder the suddenly jumped out of the way and pulled out a magic shield laden with foreign letters, blocking Kirby's flurry punches.

Balder quickly grabbed Kirby and tossed the pink puffball right at his feet, where the Lumen Sage was ready to create a pillar of fire at the alien's feet. Kirby quickly transformed into a rock and avoided the attack, the pillar of fire practically engulfing him. The Lumen Sage then noticed the red Kirby Supporter simply sitting there, wincing in pain. Balder then sent out a blue orb at the puppet fighter, knowing that one of Galeem's troops was a defenseless traitor.

Samus, meanwhile, had started to slip in-between the bodies of the two robots, making an even split with her legs near their shared gears. She began firing a barrage of missiles at the pink side of Duon, being careful of the rain of explosive rockets sent out. They began hitting the conjoined robots, and they both quickly jumped up into the air while spinning around. The blue robot body had its sword out, so it was slashing rapidly at random.

The tip of the blade slashed through Balder's back, providing Kirby a chance to revert back to his cuddly self and whack the Lumen Sage with a burning hammer. The blue orb quickly blasted open with bats flying everywhere though they were of no harm. Kirby managed to knock Balder onto his feet, suddenly noticing Samus curl up into a ball and drop a bomb in-between the two bodies of Duon. Once the bounty hunter jumped out, she quickly avoided the swordplay and missiles of the two-sided robot and watched as the bomb blew up at the shared pair of wheels. Balder quickly turned around to see a body part fall right on top of his chest, crushing the Lumen Sage with its weight even though Shadow Bugs were dissolving from it. Kirby quickly backed up against the wall with the puppet fighter companion. Once the body parts of Duon finished falling, the Shadow Bugs that made up the robot quickly retreated. The only thing they left behind was the unconscious body of Mr. Game & Watch. The wings of the Galeem Lock shattered into the white mist, and the Master Legendary Spirit of Duon appeared.

Samus ran towards the red Kirby Supporter, trying to ease its wounds. Kirby instead felt the Spirit and the white mist enter his body. His round shape stiffened again, his eyes glowed white, and he was ready for yet another vision.

* * *

Kirby tapped the Smash Ball on his forehead, having to deal with the golden eyes and rainbow aura he had again. The pink puffball stood up to see a large temple decorated with the golden faces of dragons, complete with pictures of the seven Rainbolements imprinted in the gold. The building itself was aloft a floating island, which Kirby was standing on. He was at the Sky Temple.

The blushing alien walked through the walls, ending up at the throne room. Sitting in the throne with his sons Sozo and Hakai both at his sides was Lord Ceresor, and at his feet were Ultima, Galeem, and Phoenix.

"Children," Ceresor sighed, "I am most disappointed in you. One of the major rules to truly becoming a Dragosmo is to behave how humans used to coexist with others of their kind."

"Your Majesty, please," Ultima objected. "It wasn't all my fault. I was trying to stop my brothers from fighting. I don't know why they snapped…"

"He is nothing more than a selfish warrior that is making my life miserable merely for just existing!" Phoenix growled.

"I had my moment of glory and you had to push me aside," Galeem snapped, glaring at his own brother. "I now realize Phoenix is a taint in this world, and it's my job to purge him out of it!"

"Both of you, STOP!" Ultima roared, getting between her brothers.

"That's enough!" Lord Ceresor huffed. The three Dragosmos went back to their places and heard what he had to say.

"Regardless of who's at fault here, you are all being punished," Ceresor answered. "You all broke a rule that is not allowed to be broken, and that no Dragosmo is allowed to fight one another depending on the situation. You broke each other's trust and have gotten to the point where you have been unforgiven by anyone. I guess it is my job that I banish you from the Sky Temple."

"For… how long!?" Ultima asked, starting to cry.

"I really don't know," Ceresor answered with a sigh. "There was major damage that occurred at the Dragosmo Solstice, and we had to cancel it to avoid riots. And it would be best if you three were gone so that one of you was not responsible for a major threat. I'm sorry…" Without a word of objection, the three dragons were walking out the main door. Galeem and Phoenix had already left the Sky Temple, and Ultima looked back at Ceresor with tears. She was just about to depart before Ceresor stopped her.

"Ultima…?" Ceresor asked with a kind and loving voice. Ultima, rather confused, turned around. "Do not leave just yet. I have a special mission for you."

"Special?" Ultima wondered. "But… I thought I was kicked out to avoid further disarray." Ceresor simply chuckled at that statement, and he walked off his throne.

"I knew how brave your heart was when you stood up for your brothers," Ceresor answered. "Ever since you were a child, I had admired how special you were. That you were destined for something more than breaking Galeem and Phoenix apart from a fight mainly because of how different they are. Come with me." The elderly dragon walked off from his throne and walked behind it, going through the curtains. Ultima followed behind him, curious as to where he was leading her. She looked at Sozo and Hakai, who were simply standing in their positions, before going behind the throne. Kirby walked through the same curtains and watched as Ceresor was leading Ultima through some sort of museum.

"This is an arthouse of all of the ancient relics our ancestors have uncovered from their fossilized beds, preserved in stunning detail," Ceresor told her. "Most of the technology we had adapted from the humans helped us benefit for survival and gain more intelligence." As Ultima looked around, she saw devices clearly out of the date she lived in. She saw phones, computers, video game consoles, non-electronic utensils, and automobiles that were not on pedestals unlike the other artifacts.

"Be careful what you touch," Lord Ceresor addressed. Ultima looked closely at the strange relics, admiring the machinery that she had never seen before. The dragoness walked up next to Ceresor.

"Your Majesty… what are humans?" Ultima asked.

"Humans were the first of many intelligent species to exist in Arcus," Ceresor answered. "During their reign, they called this planet Earth or Terra in their own ancient tongue. Long after humans were wiped out from this universe, there were many more species that had grown intelligent, eventually ending up with dragons that had placed their mark as top of the food chain. There is something I need to show you." Ceresor stopped in front of an elevator and opened the golden fence, allowing both Ultima and himself to walk in. Once Ceresor closed the door, the elevator descended deeper into the floating island. Once the elevator stopped, Ceresor and Ultima walked out one at a time.

Ultima was amazed by what she saw: statues. As Kirby had noticed, they were not any ordinary statues. They were in fact memorials of all his friends – Mario, Link, Marth, Snake, and everyone else including himself. Surprisingly, there were no statues of the Piranha Plant, Joker, and whoever else was originally part of the Forgotten Resistance five years ago.

"These are the warriors that came from many dimensions," Ceresor instructed. "When they had arrived here, whether they were working for good or evil, they had managed to work together and balance their worlds and ours between darkness and light. Despite their differences, they worked together in times of need. When the day came for them to rest, they arrived here in Arcus, finally having the change of heart to meet up with the Almighty Father in the Great Beyond."

"The… Almighty Father?" Ultima asked.

"Ever since humans have walked this planet, they all believed in only one being greater than them," Ceresor continued, walking to the end of the room. "When they could not decide on who to call Him, they went with the Almighty Father. Scriptures have told He loved humanity so much that He sent His only Son to die for their sins, Only few have known of the Almighty Father's existence mainly because everyone else have forgotten the religion long ago."

"So… why did you bring me here?" Ultima asked.

"To show you one of the many gifts the Almighty Father had bestowed upon the warriors before they went to their eternal rest," Ceresor answered. After the two dragons stopped walking, Ultima looked atop a structure in the form of a golden tree. There were diamond leaves gracing its branches, and the topmost leaves curved into a circle. The curving branches were flattened out so that description etched in the gold read "In hoc signo vinces". Entwined in those twigs was a bright orb glowing a pure white, with red fire, orange rocks, yellow lightning, green leaves, blue wind, indigo water, and violet magic swirling around it in the form of a multicolored storm.

"Those gifts are the Smash Balls, hidden in the hearts of these statues," Ceresor replied. "And in that tree is their source of ultimate power: the Heart of the First Star. When these warriors have died, their souls were transformed into Smash Balls harnessed by the power of the Heart of the First Star. This star's core, according to its name, was the first star to exist in the entire multiverse. Its power allows it to conjure up unspeakable power that can change our lives as we know it. Its true name is Adstrumlestibus, but we had translated it with our tongue to Fantasia. This star also has the ability to allow those to see through the past and learn of the memories of the warriors of old." Placing his forehead on the golden bark of the tree, Lord Ceresor used his abilities to bend the tree down to the floating island's ground level. Ultima slowly walked towards the Heart of the First Star, admired at how the colors spun around this strange bauble.

Pressing her palm against the glasslike surface, Ultima felt a spark of energy burst inside her. Her golden eyes started flashing multiple colors, and the memories of Kirby's friends wrapped around her. The pink puffball fully saw the life-changing adventures his teammates went on, and he even saw his own. Because Kirby was also an amnesiac for a while, he suddenly remembered who he was when he looked through the memories shining before him. Ultima was looking through all those memories too, panting as she saw all of it. Once she removed her hand from Adstrumlestibus, Ultima dropped to the ground. She looked at her mentor.

"…It was like I was with them," Ultima said.

"The stars can tell us tales that had happened since the dawn of time," Ceresor explained. "The lifespan of any intelligent species is only a mere blink for these celestial beings, so they can memorize everything that has ever happened to us. There is also a tale that the stars can survive the corruption of pure insanity, and the Smash Balls can protect those who wield it."

"There is also a chance that one being can summon all those warriors into our greatest time of need, their souls transferred into those exact vessels for their protection in new and different environments," Ceresor continued with a little smile on his face. "I hope that being turns out to be you." The Lord of the Arcus Dragons then started walking off to the right, heading to an exit with raggedy curtains draped over it.

"Follow me, child," Lord Ceresor finished. "There is a mission that involves you, me, and my sons." Ultima followed the elderly dragon through the exit. Kirby then started stiffening in pain as the Smash Ball on his forehead glowed bright. Once the area glowed white again, the pink puffball was transported back to Gallia.

* * *

Kirby was starting to wake up, with the red Kirby Supporter tapping the pink puffball's cuddly face. Even though the puppet fighter was wounded, it still had enough energy to stir Kirby back into conscious.

"Finally you're up," Samus said. "I was starting to worry about you. I even recruited another friend in our little group." Familiar beeping noises that served as the sound effects for footsteps approached Kirby. I was Mr. Game & Watch, free from Galeem's control and moving as clunky as ever. Kirby, glad that the monochromatic fighter was back, hugged Mr. Game & Watch tightly. The red puppet fighter shuffled to the pink puffball, starting to recover from its wounds.

"Let's go now," Samus spoke through her helmet. The three Smashers and their puppet companion were then walking away.

"…Wait…" Balder groaned, his pale hand reaching out to the small group. "Please let me help you get out of here…"

"What makes you sure we can trust you?" Samus asked, pointing her arm cannon at the Lumen Sage.

"I was the one under control of this maze," Balder answered. "After fighting against you, I see now that everyone just wants to be free. Allow me to at least make it up to you." With a snap of his fingers, Balder teleported Bowser, Piranha Plant, Peach, Villager, Pikachu, Sheik, Lucario, Captain Falcon, Yoshi, Mii Swordfighter, Jigglypuff, Link, Inkling, Fox, Little Mac, Dr. Mario, and Will Fit Trainer all into the same room that Kirby, Samus, Mr. Game & Watch, and the puppet fighter were standing in. A glowing-blue path then appeared below the reunited team, leading out of the dark room.

"Follow the path and do not stray from it," Balder said. "You will find a way out. Just go before Galeem finds out." Not having enough time to give thanks, all of the fighters started following the light path out of the maze. Kirby was helping the Supporter walk out by having it stand up.

"You are a brave boy to help one of our clones out like that," Balder said. Kirby and his Supporter looked back at Balder with smiles, and the both of them left the room as quickly as possible. The Lumen Sage then got up, brushing his peacock-feathered coat. He suddenly started getting a splitting headache caused by Galeem.

"You have broke your trust," the Lord of Light snarled through a voice inside the Lumen Sage's head. "Head back to the Galeem Void NOW!" Without a sudden thought, another green, pixelated portal teleported Balder out of the maze and into the darkness of the Galeem Void. The Lumen Sage looked up at Galeem sitting on his crystal throne, the structure reflecting beams of light about as bright as the sun in his face.

"Do I even have to explain what happens next now that you have betrayed me?" Galeem growled, summoning a non-Arcadian Master Hand to his side. The Seraph of Order transformed into a black hole, with the blue essence from that Master Hand funneling into the black hole. A golden laser was shot out, disintegrating Balder's body completely. Now he was left glowing as a Master Ace Spirit. The Master Hand then called forth its fraternal, the Crazy Hand, and the both of them ripped a hole into space. The glowing-yellow Lumen Sage was being sucked into the Dark Dimension, never to see the World of Light again.

Galeem, starting to feel defeated, slumped back onto his throne. Flowey had managed to arrive in time. The Seraph of Order quickly descended towards the monster flower.

"You are my last chance," Galeem snapped. "You better not screw this up! You better not betray me, leave the Super Smash Brothers to live no matter how innocent-looking, and you will help that Rathalos to succeed and not break the Northern Barrier."

"I won't let you down, boss," Flowey answered. "And besides… I'm a little knack for starting up some trouble…" The flower vanished without a trace. Galeem flew back to his throne, his glowing-white hands tapping against the crystals in annoyance.

"You are growing afraid, my lord," Tabuu addressed, watching as the Seraph of Order was starting to become rather paranoid.

"I had kept this planet in order for five years," Galeem answered. "I will not let it fall into darkness, especially when one of our soldiers is wounded and is currently under the care of our greatest enemies…"

* * *

In the Dark Dimension, Balder saw that he was floating around in a pitch-black world. Since he was a Lumen Sage, he harnessed the light inside him to see the dimension he was trapped in. Suddenly, King Bulbin and the Werewolf grabbed him.

"Don't shine one spark of light here!" the Werewolf snapped, afraid.

"The ruler of this place wants to drown out whatever light is here!" King Bulbin addressed. "He's always watching us…"

"Watching us? Who?" Balder asked. Just then, the raspy laughter echoed throughout the dimension, with the pale blue eye appearing out of nowhere.

"Hello, friend," the eye said, his golden iris surrounding his slit pupil. "I take it you are a guardian of the light. You know how afraid I am of the light…"

"And what are you going to do about it?" Balder asked, pulling out a fan of golden peacock-feather daggers.

"Why… just wait and see," the eye answered. From the eye's piercing glow, tentacle-like appendages slithered out below the Lumen Sage's feet. The tentacles themselves were spiky at the ends, with black tendrils wrapping around them. They glowed purple at the bases and a neon pink at the tips. One of the tentacles pierced through the Master Ace Spirit's chest, delivering something not felt by Galeem before: pain. Balder gasped as more of the appendages went through his arms and legs, keeping him in a cross position.

"Who in the name of God are you!?" Balder winced. The eye simply chuckled quietly in response.

"Why… that is for the Super Smash Brothers to find out," the eye answered, glowing brighter as it got closer to the Lumen Sage. "Let us just say that… Galeem will be very happy to see me."


	54. Pt 54: An Unforgettable Inception

The group of fighters exited through the techno maze, looking out into the bright sun once more. What they saw on their right was a seaside town, with the graffiti roads decorated with seashells and aquatic animals. Houses molded out of clay were laid out across the beachside. There were more Spirits inhabiting the seaside town.

Kirby looked out into the ocean, noticing how blue it was. Not even the oceans on his home, Planet Popstar, were as beautiful as those bodies of water. The red Supporter that he picked up started trembling, beginning to lose its Shadow Bug fluids like blood. Kirby quickly noticed the puppet fighter was starting to die and tried to keep it on its toes as long as possible.

"I'll take care of him," Dr. Mario told Kirby, carrying the wounded Kirby Supporter. "I'll take him to the nearest hospital around here." As the prescriber walked to the nearest hospital he spotted, Kirby ran towards him.

"Poyo poyo poyo," Kirby said, tugging on Dr. Mario's white lab coat. As the doctor noticed, he saw how much the pink puffball cared about the puppet fighter. For whatever reason, he was worried about its safety as much as his friends'.

"Alright, you can come with me," Dr. Mario said, holding onto Kirby's stubby hand. "The rest of you search the town for supplies. We pretty much need them for this journey." Once both Dr. Mario and Kirby walked towards the hospital with the resting Kirby Supporter, the other fighters took a look around the seaside location.

Throughout the graffiti streets, the team looked around for whatever they could find in various markets that opened on the streets. Spirits in different booths were selling exotic fruits while others were giving out survival kits, even though the fighters have already known how to survive in the wilderness. They haven't eaten in days, and the first thing to get was some grub. Peach, being the confident damsel that she is, ran towards a nearby booth. There was the addictive scent of juicy, sizzling meat, and all sorts of salads and desserts were mixed with the aroma. Serving the delicious foods was Chef Kawasaki, who was only a Normal Ace Spirit. He was simply cooking and baking multiple delicacies when he noticed the traveling group of fighters standing right in front of the market booth.

"Excuse me, but… may I ask what you have here?" Peach asked. The chef was surprised by what he saw: the fighters were the only ones that had physical bodies, and most of them were rescued from Galeem.

"Why, I thought I would never see the day when a team of our bravest warriors would go up against the Lord of Light and free us all!" Chef Kawasaki cried with joy. "How can I help you, heroes?"

"We're going to be gathering supplies for the long journey ahead," Link answered. "Can you help us stock up?"

"Of course," Chef Kawasaki answered, trying to organize his finished meals. "I had never been so happy ever since I was rescued from the body of a PAC-MAN Supporter."

"Wait-wait-wait," Fox answered. "You're saying you were rescued? By whom?"

"The stranger simply came and went, leaving no trace of his… or her… belongings," Chef Kawasaki answered. "Coincidentally, I think the stranger was probably like you guys with the physical form and everything." Suddenly, the oven timer started ringing.

"Excuse me one sec," Chef Kawasaki chuckled nervously. "I've got a Geothermal Pizza baking. Won't take long." As soon as the glowing-yellow Spirit was getting the pizza out, this gave the fighters enough time to talk about the mysterious guest on this side of the island.

"Did you hear that creature probably from Kirby's world talk about how there could be a fighter on this side of the land?" Link asked.

"We're all here in the same spot, Champion of Hyrule," Sheik answered. "If what the Spirit said is true, then there could really be a fighter like Piranha Plant that had also survived Galeem's attack."

"Who knows?" the Mii Swordfighter asked. "We did find out there are six survivors in Gallia, and we have a Piranha Plant as one of them. How crazy is it that there is someone out there trying to go back the way we came in?" After Chef Kawasaki pulled out the Geothermal Pizza, which was piping hot and covered with pepperoni and black olive toppings, and set it to cool on the booth's counter, the fighters stopped talking and continued with the getting food plan.

"So, which of these items are you interested by?" the Chef Kawasaki Spirit asked. "Roast Griffin? Tenderized Tartare? Maybe even some Hobgob Doughnuts or Sharp Stew? At my booth, I cook up the best delicacies only from Miitopia, and all grubs come in three rarities: Common, Rare, and Very Rare. Ranked from lowest to highest, these three rarities can boost your stats slightly or greatly, and the Very Rare meals are the best ones."

"Geeze, it's hard to decide," Samus said, tapping the chin of her helmet. "I suppose we'll take one of everything."

"Excellent choice!" Chef Kawasaki cheered. "The Kawasaki Buffet is the best deal, and no one can resist the temptation to buy all of these delicious treats. Just note it is a little pricey, with the Common grub rounding in at 100 Spirit Points, the Rare at 250, and Very Rare at 500. All in all your total price would be rounded up to… 57,700 Spirit Points."

"…Spirit Points?" Sheik asked. "Wait a minute. I don't know if we've been listening, but are they what you call currency? Even then, I doubt we have any kind of money at the moment…"

"I understand," the Chef Kawasaki Spirit responded. "However, I simply can't give away this stuff for free, y'know. Just know I'm at least generous enough to hold onto your order until you pay me those Spirit Points…" The fighters nodded, walking a foot away from the Miitopian grub booth.

"How are we gonna get all that food?" Lucario asked. "We don't have any money with us and we haven't eaten in days…"

"Don't worry," Peach said. "I'm sure we'll find a way…" When Mr. Game & Watch turned around to his left, the busy number of Spirits in the market stopped talking and looked in the direction that the monochromatic fighter was looking at. A little scared, Mr. Game & Watch tapped Bowser's hard shell.

"What do you want, pipsqueak?" Bowser asked, turning around and looking down at Mr. Game & Watch.

"Who are those strangers?" one Spirit asked.

"Oh no," another Spirit exclaimed. "It's a Primary team!" The group of fighters quickly turned around to see what appeared to be the captured Pokémon Trainer. His three Pokémon Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard were all out from their Pokéballs. They were each represented by a 3-in-1 Master Legendary Spirit: Articuno for Squirtle, Zapdos for Ivysaur, and Moltres for Charizard. The Pokémon Trainer himself was all three of them, but the three bird Pokémon had individual powers that were passed onto each of the Pokémon.

"Do you think they see us?" Bowser asked, ready to claw the Pokémon Trainer Primary. The Pokémon Trainer Primary pointed at the fighters, and the three possessed Pokémon began shooting out water blasts, explosive seeds, and fire bursts.

"…Yep," Fox answered. Before the array of the water, grass, and fire-type attacks reached the fighters, Fox McCloud quickly jumped in front of them and quickly pulled out his reflector, barricading the attacks. As Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle raced towards the team, Pikachu and Lucario quickly ran out and started attacking. Lucario used his aura abilities to leech combos onto the three Pokémon at once while Pikachu constantly used Quick Attack and Skull Bash. All the while, the Spirits in the market began fleeing from the scene, hoping they too wouldn't get captured again.

"You better defeat that Primary as fast as possible!" the Normal Ace-class Spirit of Chef Kawasaki exclaimed, ducking under his booth without attending to his Miitopian grubs. "I hear you can net up strong rewards if you defeat one…"

"Why haven't we thought about this before!?" Fox asked, liking the idea of defeating enemies for cash all while he was shooting his blaster. "Come on, guys! We've got some of those Spirit Points to nab!" Piranha Plant, Sheik, Inkling, Jigglypuff, Little Mac, Yoshi, and the rest of the gang ran towards the 3-in-1 fighter.

"We've gotta aim for Red himself!" Bowser called out, blocking Charizard's tail. "If we break the rules and hit the Trainer, then it's over for the Primary team!"

"This is gonna be a bit of a problem, by the way!" Lucario said, counter-attacking Squirtle's spinning shell. Villager was trying to plant trees and water them so he could chop one down, but Ivysaur's rapid-fire seeds were strong enough to hit back at the Smashville mayor. As Villager got up amidst all the chaos, he noticed despite the big number on their team that the three Pokémon were faster and stronger at defending the Pokémon Trainer Primary mainly because they were all possessed by Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.

Running off, the Villager looked around for Dr. Mario, Kirby, and the Supporter that joined their team through sheer luck, believing they were in some sort of hospital.

Meanwhile, inside a building, Dr. Mario was carefully observing the red Kirby Supporter, who was already patched up and cleaned. He checked through a clipboard of the test results, and Kirby himself was starting to feel worried.

"Well-a, goods news is-a that our little puppet fighter will be alright," Dr. Mario said. "All he needed was a little bit of fixing. Bad news is that this Supporter will survive until its original source has been destroyed. These Kirby Supporters are stronger and more obedient toward Galeem than the other Supporters, but once their cloning machine is gone, they're all erased from existence regarding health." The pink puffball looked down in a bit of sadness, knowing he would miss his Supporter terribly if that cloning machine was destroyed. But he supposes that was for the best since the Seraph of Order needed to be stopped. Dr. Mario patted Kirby's head, reassuring the alien without words that everything will be fine. Then, Villager ran in with a panicked expression on his face. He managed to find the two fighters and the Supporter, waving his arms around and sweat dripping from his face.

"What is it, buddy?" Dr. Mario asked. The Villager simply pointed outside, still frightened. Even though the Villager could not even speak a word, Dr. Mario and Kirby both knew that a fight was going on outside.

"Let's-a go," Dr. Mario said, running to the ground floor of the hospital with Villager. Kirby puffed up and floated to the patient's bed where his Supporter was sitting. The pink puffball sat down next to the red-eyed puppet fighter, taking a good look at the patched-up wounds. There was still some of that Shadow Bug ooze leaking through the bandages, but that was just about it.

"Kirby! Take that Supporter with-a you and head outside!" Dr. Mario called out from downstairs. Kirby quickly jumped down and carefully lifted the Kirby Supporter to the ground. Once the four went outside, they saw Link, Samus, Yoshi, Fox, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Bowser, Sheik, Mr. Game & Watch, Lucario, Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Inkling, Piranha Plant, and Mii Swordfighter all trying to go after the Pokémon Trainer Primary while trying to fight off his strong, super-speedy Pokémon trio. Dr. Mario, Kirby, and Villager all ran towards Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle. They tried distracting the three captured Pokémon while the red Kirby Supporter ran towards the Pokémon Trainer Primary. The Primary team knew that the puppet fighter would never attack them and only left the fighting to the reawakened Smashers.

"Deliver the blow!" Samus called out to the Supporter, knowing the puppet fighter was approaching the Pokémon Trainer Primary. The fighters had managed to diverse Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle long enough for the Kirby Supporter to pull out a hammer. It wasn't long before the Primary knew what was going on before the patched-up puppet pulled out a hammer and swung it at the captured fighter.

Once the Pokémon Trainer Primary was defeated, Charizard, Squirtle, and Ivysaur all retreated back into their individual Pokéballs. A bright light engulfed the Trainer, not having the chance to summon its little roulette minigame. The wings of the Galeem Lock shattered, and they transformed into the white mist with the combined Master Legendary Spirits of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres mixed with the foggy essence. The other fighters stepped back and watched as Kirby absorbed the mist again, stiffening with white eyes again.

* * *

The pink demon was back where he left off, during the time when Lord Ceresor allowed Ultima to follow him. As Kirby looked around, he saw nothing but a large, wooden dock in front of him. Standing at the edge was the Lord of the Arcus Dragons, and Ultima himself was by his side. They both looked off into the distance and saw Sozo and Hakai flying off into the sun.

"Where are they going?" Ultima asked.

"They are heading off to a land far away from our own," Lord Ceresor answered. "A place where we are heading too. You have come this far. With your skills and courage, you can help me with this mission."

"I… don't even know what is so special that I was chosen for this job," Ultima objected.

"I can tell you are new here," Ceresor chuckled. "Tell me, child… have you heard anything about a pit called Ginnungagap?" Ultima simply shook her head, having no comment on it.

"Legends say that this pit was founded by the Fire Demons and Ice Giants of old, uncovered ages ago," Ceresor answered. "The fire and ice have been locked in eternal turmoil, swirling down into the bottom. Inside the ice, the fire sparked life within, giving them new forms. They became known as the Mii Fighters, a species as intelligent as our own but evolving the closest to humans. However, there was also ice that created life within the fire, and they are known as the Shadow Bugs – creatures made out of tiny ones in different shapes and functions. In Ginnungagap, the fire represents the light and the ice represents the darkness. Their hearts were no different, so the two species have been at war ever since, with the Mii Fighters at the rink of the gap winning time and time again.

"The Shadow Bugs themselves are pushed to the bottom of the pit, but they have a means of revenge. Just recently, they had undiscovered a prehistoric beast sealed away in permafrost millions of years ago, which was believed to have been extinct. They planned on controlling this beast and finally using it to destroy the Mii Fighters for good. It is our mission to stop the Shadow Bugs from taking over and spreading throughout Arcus. Now is our chance to fly off into the skies and defeat the creature that the Shadow Bugs of darkness had uncovered." Just like that, Ceresor jumped off from the wooden dock and took off into the sunrise, and Ultima followed him into the sky. The two warriors soared through the air as fast as they could, having no recollection of how long they had been flying. Kirby himself was simply standing on nothing, watching as both the black-armored dragoness and the Lord of Arcus flew to their destination.

* * *

As though the visions were on a time lapse, Kirby noticed that hours had passed. Both Ceresor and Ultima were already at the place where Hakai and Sozo hoped they would meet up with them. The pink demon gazed upon another gorgeous land: a massive pit that stretched a few miles across its radius, with large forests decorating its edges. There was nothing but darkness found within the bottom of the pit, with fire and ice glowing down below.

Ultima and Ceresor landed down on the ground beside the pit. What they saw was a steampunk-styled city laced with flora and fauna. The technology itself was dated for our current time, but it was somehow also far more advanced at the same time. Sozo and Hakai managed to meet up with their father and best Dragosmo student.

"We're here, father," Sozo said. The four dragons looked back upon the strange city, watching the early Mii Fighters walk out of their homes onto the streets. Each of the Brawlers, Swordfighters, and Gunners were tweaked a bit to mimic this peculiar style they chose, like the Brawlers had suits of squeaking iron, the Swordfighters were suited up in formal clothing and had sabers, and the Gunners looked like grease monkeys and wielded manually-controlled steampunk arm cannons. The children that were clearly not ready to fight yet were dressed up in peasant outfits, some even crying over the fact that they are caught in a never-ending war against the Shadow Bugs. Emerging from the crowd were the Ultimates of Arcus, looking as bland as the previous Ultimates fifteen years ago. The Brawler had stones for fists, the Swordfighter balanced a long leaf as a tool to swing with, and the Gunner fueled her wooden log cannon with some sort of strange magic.

"Welcome to Ginnungagap, the Pit of Ice and Fire," the Brawler Ultimate of Arcus spoke.

"We have heard your cry for help," Lord Ceresor answered. "We arrived as quickly as possible."

"Thank you so much for answering our call," the Gunner Ultimate of Arcus responded. The three Mii Fighters turned to their people, raising their hands up high.

"Behold! Standing before you all are the most intelligent creatures closest to us: the dragons!" the Swordfighter Ultimate of Arcus addressed. "Let us celebrate with a feast in honor of these brave warriors should we go out to die!" All of the Mii Fighters in the city cheered, knowing that the Dragosmos were here with them.

During the party at the central hall, most of the Mii Fighters, including their Ultimates, sat down and hosted a banquet at a table that circled around a rather large fountain. Some of the other Miis were hanging out, serving appetites, and even guarding outside. As Kirby looked around, he saw the meals that were presented on the plate. With so many choices, the pink puffball could not resist. He tried inhaling the dishes, but then figured out he could not interact with anything in these memories of the past. He knew that Faker's amnesia could be tied to these events in the past and the stone he swallowed. Nonetheless, he continued to watch as the dragons seated themselves next to the Mii Fighters.

The dragons in comparison, while sitting down, were twice as tall as a Mii Fighter. Ceresor looked down upon the Ultimates, wondering what they have to say.

"Did you know we're actually the very first Mii Fighters born here?" the Brawler Ultimate asked Ultima.

"I had no idea," Ultima gleefully answered. "Your town is just so fascinating! While I was going through change, I only grew up in Civiltatula and traveled through the solar system for ten years, so I didn't have time to study the history of Arcus…"

"That's true," the Brawler Ultimate continued. "By the way, my name is Sieg, the Swordfighter's name is Gilbert, and the Gunner's name is Sherry. Outsiders call us the Ultimates since we are seen as leaders. It… kinda goes with the whole 'ultimate' thing… Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Nothing," Ultima answered with no comment in her voice. "I was… simply a tagalong. No one special."

"I see," Sieg remarked. The Brawler Ultimate leaned in close to her, almost as if he wanted to give her into a secret.

"I can see you're really special," Sieg said. "You may not know it, but one day you'll grow up in ways you can possibly imagine. They'll turn for the greater good, and I even see a potential queen. What do I know? It's wishful thinking after all. My point is… everyone has a little bit of light and darkness in them, but a true hero balances them both without one side overwhelming the other. All you need is a choice on what to do with it. Will you act for the greater good of balance or give in to either the light or the darkness? We all know the darkness is obviously symbolic for evil, but sometimes the light isn't as hopeful as you would think…" Suddenly, a tray of dishes shattered in the background, distracting the Brawler Ultimate of Arcus.

"Nice talking with you," Sieg said before excusing himself from the table. Ultima looked back on Lord Ceresor, who was already heading outside to one of the balconies. His calm expression was enough for the dragoness to walk towards him and join the Lord of Arcus outside.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Lord Ceresor asked, looking out into the night sky, watching as the moon was waning into a crescent.

"Yeah," Ultima sighed. "It's a shame my brothers aren't here to enjoy this moment with me…"

"Maybe it's for the best," Lord Ceresor answered. "After all, they could probably be home spending time with their family." Ultima looked out into the stars, letting the pause of the wind linger for a while before she asked him a question.

"Is it true?" Ultima asked. "That Dragosmos can be so powerful they can create universes?"

"My great-grandfather was the leader of the first dragons," Lord Ceresor answered. "Back when our species gained intelligence and walked this planet, any creature capable of sentience was long gone and the world was void of life. He used the powers of the stones and created Arcus as you see it today. Yes, my child. It is possible for a Dragosmo to become powerful enough to spark up a new universe. You know there are more stones than the ones that gave us our powers. Here in Ginnungagap, both species that reside here have uncovered powerful jewels. The Mii Fighters hold possession of the Light of Helio while the Shadow Bugs have control over the Darkness of Hycto. Legends have told of two seraphim who have balanced the multiverse for eons. However, they fell under the corruption of an ancient evil and had been sealed away in their counterpart prisons, their powers passing onto those worthy enough to wield the powers of light and darkness. Their greatest students have also been given these powers when the teachers are too weak both physically and spiritually."

"Do you mind telling me who or what turned them against each other?" Ultima asked, curious about the topic Lord Ceresor was talking about.

"I am, of course, referring to an… ancient goddess who saw us as… stains in her eyes," Lord Ceresor answered. "Her bloodshot, weeping eyes." Ultima then suddenly remembered the nightmare that she had years ago, when a golden-haired deity had sworn to destroy everything appeared in her flashbacks. Thankfully, Ceresor can read her mind.

"I see you know who I am talking about," Ceresor reassured Ultima, looking at her terrified face. "The Goddess of Insanity is still around. She may be weakened, but she is always watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike her enemies. Her mind will reach into someone else's and find the tools that will bring her back to existence once more. Once she gets her way, there will be nothing to stop her. Not even our Rainbolements can protect us by then."

"So is there no way to stop this threat, whatever she is?" Ultima asked.

"Like I said, you can summon the warriors of the past to defend us from the upcoming threat," Lord Ceresor answered. "How you can summon them is entirely up to you. Just remember that they will be brought here to defeat the goddess for only they are immune to her true powers. We are safe for now, but her threats are rising at a steady pace. You will have to be careful…" Ultima willfully nodded, knowing she will face her destiny one day. When Kirby walked closer to the two dragons, he passed through them and looked out onto the land, seeing the Pit of Fire and Ice glow in the distance. At the edge, the pink puffball was the only one to notice a mysterious shadowy figure standing near the edge as Ultima and the Lord of Arcus were looking out into the stars.

Kirby saw that the figure was in a black mist, with the red sclera and green eyes with slit pupils. In its crystalline hands was the bubblegum slime with the single eye from before, resting in the figure's palms.

"Father!" Sozo called out to Lord Ceresor. "Hakai has gotten drunk on red wine again and needs your assistance."

"I'll be there in a minute," Lord Ceresor answered. He then reentered inside the central hall, leaving Ultima outside the balcony. Kirby looked back at the rink of Ginnungagap, noticing the figure was still there. The black-armored dragoness had just now noticed. In her eyes, she saw the mysterious entity simply staring back at her. Driven out of curiosity, Ultima flew off from the balcony with Kirby quickly inhaling air and floating behind her.

After Ultima landed in front of the strange figure, the wind pushed back against her wings flowed through her, and the black mist floated away like dust. Kirby then landed, watching the dragoness look around the waning crescent moonlight.

"Ultima…" a strange voice called out. The male voice sounded rather calm and uncomfortably normal, making Ultima tremble a bit. When see turned around again, the figure was feet away from her. He was holding the pink slime in his hands, and the blob looked at the dragoness with its light-green eye.

"I understand that you have problems with your brothers," the black mist spoke with the voice. As he slowly moved closer towards Ultima, Kirby had picked up that the stranger was levitating inches off the ground.

"Listen: I am only here just to see what you're up to," Ultima answered. "You better tell me your name and describe what your motives are." However, the black mist simply laughed in response.

"Must you really know my name?" the stranger responded, inching closer towards the Dragosmo. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you, but you can call me… your little companion."

"And what do you know about my brothers?" Ultima asked.

"I know a lot about you, Ultima," the black mist answered, his green slit eyes flashing in an unnatural light. "I have seen things. Lots of things." The bubblegum slime moved up one of his crystalline arms, slipping through his fingers. Ultima then started getting flashbacks again from her nightmare, watching a similar color like that slime be cried out from the goddess' eyes. She then shook that thought away and saw the slime shift into a different shape: one that depicts two dragons fighting. They both looked similar to Phoenix and Galeem.

"I can see through time, and I know of your fate," the black mist continued. "One brother will become selfish and demand all will follow his rule of perfection, and the other will hide in the shadows alone and turn jealous of the former." The bubblegum slime then turned back into its pulp form, slithering into the stranger's hand again.

"If you wish to avoid this fate, I suggest you join my side," the black mist added. "I will give you whatever you want: praise from the other dragons, a reunited family, unlimited power. You can have both love and wealth. What good is it having one over the other when you can have both?" The black mist stopped right in front of Ultima, holding out his crystalline hand. The slime covered the whole appendage up, only exposing the sharp fingertips. Ultima slowly lifted up her front claw before she stopped.

"This… this doesn't feel right," Ultima objected, looking away. "What good is your lifelong goal if you're simply going to skip the hard route? You'll finally have it and yet… you would still feel empty." However, the black-mist stranger did not listen and quickly grabbed ahold of Ultima's paw. Once he grabbed ahold, a sudden burst of energy stung the crystalline hand, causing the entity to quickly back away. The pink slime quickly slithered onto his shoulder after it too felt the pain.

"Hm… it seems you are pure of heart," the stranger told her. "Some sort of strange power is inside you and I cannot get to your heart. No matter. All I have to do is look for someone more… tainted. Hopefully it wouldn't be your brothers. Until we meet again, Ultima." When a burst of fire mixed with ice blasted near the pit, the wind created from the immediate splash blew the black mist away. Just like that, both the stranger and his slime companion were gone.

Ultima felt rather shocked from that event, trying to get rid of the stranger's words from her head. However, they stuck around like an earworm created from a catchy pop song on the radio. The dragoness thought it best if her interaction with the mysterious entity was left unnoticed, for simply telling it would have disastrous consequences. Before Kirby knew what hit him, the Smash Ball glowed brightly on his forehead again. Another vision was completed.

* * *

"Kirby, wake up!" Fox called out, shaking the pink demon back to his senses. The round alien sat up, looking at all of the companions he was surrounded by, including the Pokémon Trainer himself, who was reawakened as well as his Pokémon. The red Kirby Supporter tapped the pink puffball's cheek, making sure he was okay.

"Glad you're back again," Samus congratulated. Some of the Spirits that were at the market started popping out, cheering in curiosity.

"Look!" one of the Spirits called out. "They've got a million Spirit Points!" By the Smashers was a pile of green bits that were pretty much the Spirit Points. Fox McCloud quickly ran over to them and dug his anthropomorphic paws through the currency.

"Now we have plenty of money to buy the food we wanted!" the Star Fox mercenary said. Most of the fighters were scooping up a few handfuls of the Spirit Points, ready to buy the Miitopian food they asked for at Chef Kawasaki's stand.

Once all the fighters and Kirby Supporter had placed the rest of the Spirit Points and grub in separate pouches, they continued north of the path to a jungle with a large waterfall beside it. The pink demon looked back on the seaside town, thinking about the awakened memory that occurred. The encounter with the black entity was something life-changing, and it was a good thing this Ultima character had refused the offer. Little Mac then came around and patted Kirby's back, distracting the pink alien.

"Whatever happened back in that little head of yours, don't worry about it. It was probably all a dream" Little Mac then took a bite from the stinger of a Common BBQ Scorpion.

"I gotta tell you: Chef Kawasaki makes the best dishes!" Little Mac added while talking with his mouth full. "We should hire him onto that ship of yours as the gourmet chef sometime." Once Little Mac headed back to the group, the pink puffball knew those visions were like dreams, even though they were somehow tied to Faker's amnesia. Once thing is, in fact, certain for Kirby.

That memory will never go away from his mind. For some reason, it will stick around for a while.


	55. Pt 55: Galleom's Origin

Traveling through the jungle, the fighters tried to navigate through the wet, dense flora, barely getting glimpses of the sun itself because the leaves were so thick. Each one of these fighters was struggling through mounds of broken sticks, some even trying to whisk away the flies and mosquitoes that buzzed around them.

Eventually, the gang came to a clearing, where the sun was getting rather hotter. Thankfully there was a spring where they were currently at. The oasis itself was near a stone hill where the water ran down from it.

"Finally we can rest for now," Gilbert sighed, the Mii Swordfighter slumping down on the dry mossy ground. The other fighters stopped what they were doing and quickly sat down, bummed out from traveling after so long. Now that they were at the spring, it provided enough time for them to catch a breather.

Kirby jumped into the spring, feeling how refreshingly cold the water was since the sun was starting to get arid. The red Supporter saw the pink puffball swimming around all gleefully. The puppet fighter started stirring the water surface, trying to get a good estimate of how deep the spring was. Since Primaries and Supporters were created to survive through any natural obstacle and continue fighting, this was basically easy for the Kirby Supporter to join in with the pink puffball.

"Poyo-poyo-po!" Kirby laughed, literally sitting on top of the water's surface and watching his puppet fighter friend swim towards him. The Supporter simply looked at Kirby, starting to get a little passive with its enemy.

However, this temporary peace near the spring did not last as Clementine noticed a third reflection in the water. Since there were two lightweights in the water, they were creating ripples that obstructed the view. The Inkling noticed that high above the crack where the spring's water was leaking from was a figure who was surrounded by a white aura and had red eyes. It was a Primary, no doubt, appearing in the form of Diddy Kong. Clementine noticed that the Primary was quickly charging up his Rocketbarrel Pack before slipping it off his back. The captured fighter then aimed it straight down, where the Inkling suddenly noticed the Diddy Kong Primary had got his eyes on Kirby. He took careful aim to not hit the Supporter, but it was too late as it zoomed right towards the two puffballs.

Inkling yelled at Kirby and his friend to watch out in her own language, running towards the spring. She didn't even bother testing out if the water was safe or not as she just dived in. She grabbed ahold of Kirby and the Supporter, kicking her legs as fast as she could before the Rocketbarrel Pack hit the surface. Once the explosion occurred, Clementine had managed to toss both Kirbies and herself onto the soft ground before the blast covered the spring. Just as before, the water was pure and the Inkling was safe. All of the other fighters noticed the explosion too, and they gathered near the pool to see the captured fighter that had attacked them. The Spirit that seemed to possess him was Dixie Kong, Diddy Kong's girlfriend back on Kong Island.

Feeling rather vengeful for the Primary trying to hurt her friends, the Inkling transformed into her squid form and used Super Jump to grab onto the rim of the small waterfall. Clementine was starting to slip after clinging onto the smooth rocks. Luckily, before the Diddy Kong Primary was about to shoot with his Peanut Popgun, Clementine grabbed the foot of the captured bipedal animal and jumped into the spring with him.

"Clementine!" Red called out. Because the fighters knew that the Inkling can manage this on her own, all they could do was sit and watch. Inkling had started putting the Diddy Kong Primary in a headlock, submerging the captured fighter in the spring's water. She began climbing out of the water, pressing the Primary's head below the surface so she could drown him. As the bipedal monkey struggled to breathe, his movements were slowing down until it eventually stopped. The Diddy Kong Primary's body sank to the bottom, and Clementine sat back. She thought about how she had just murdered their ambusher: the simple act of forced drowning.

"That was goddamn brutal," Fox replied. Like the Star Fox mercenary, all of the other Smashers on their team were shocked and had no comment for what just happened. Nonetheless, the Diddy Kong Primary's body floated to the top of the surface, his face out of the water. The white mist and the Dixie Kong Spirit floated out of the monkey's body, spiraling into Kirby's body. Just after the shards of the Galeem Lock and the Spirit entered the pink puffball's body, the last thing Kirby saw was Yoshi diving in to save Diddy Kong after he just woke up, struggling with drowning.

* * *

Kirby tapped the Smash Ball on his forehead to see if he was in another vision. After checking, the pink puffball looked up into the day sky, seeing the clouds float by. He looked around at the buildings surrounding Ginnungagap, seeing the Miis that could not fight keeping themselves inside their homes, locking up doors and boarding windows. Ceresor, his sons, and Ultima stood near the edge of the Pit of Fire and Ice, surrounded by the Miis that can fight, including their Ultimates. This was the day that the Shadow Bugs would emerge from the darkness of Ginnungagap with their new beast.

The rumbling of rocks falling into the pit from the fire and ice geysers startled the troops, but they were still waiting. Then, they heard the echoing of sticks clanking on rocks from below Ginnungagap. A few Primids appeared on the backs of Trowlons, drumming their battle song. Armights, Shaydases, Roturrets, and basically every enemy in the Subspace Army emerged, with those that cannot really fly riding on Trowlons. They were surrounding a large gap in between each other, with several empty Trowlons diving in.

The Mii Fighters and dragons stepped back as they saw the prehistoric beast emerge from Ginnungagap, carried by the Trowlons. The creature itself was an enormous serpent with purple scales. He had eyes similar to the Subspace Cyborg the fighters came across before but was completely different in many ways. The gigantic python stretched up to a hundred feet, coiling his long body. Fused to his forehead was a glowing-violet stone that emitted black storm clouds from it.

"Oh no… he has the Darkness of Hycto on him," the Gunner Ultimate whimpered.

"What?" Ultima asked. "What is this creature!?"

"It is the last of the Heliotrope Titanoboas, a species so powerful it wiped out major contenders of dinosaurs during the Paleogene Era and will clearly wipe out our generation too," the Brawler Ultimate answered.

"With the Darkness of Hycto in control, that snake will be an unstoppable leader of the Shadow Bugs!" the Swordfighter Ultimate finished. The clanking of the stones with sticks stopped as the Borborases blew in the sounds of dark ambient war horns. The Mizzos sparked electricity in harmony with one another, and the Armanks snapped their jaws in coexisting rhythm. The Aurori swirled around in the sky while the creatures of the Shadow Bugs chanted the serpent's name. They could not speak naturally as much as gurgle noises, but their harmonized sounds had generated a name for the Heliotrope Titanoboa.

"Gal-le-om! Gal-le-om!" the monsters from the pit snarled. Now Kirby understood. The cyborg simian that his friends went up against was in fact a titanic purple snake reawakened from cryogenic freezing in permafrost after a billion years ago to begin with. Most of the Mii Fighters trembled when Galleom hissed a deafening roar, his venomous fangs flashing from his flat mouth and forked tongue.

The huge serpentine monster quickly leaped off from the platform of Trowlons. Despite being large and clearly not fit to jump, the Heliotrope Titanoboa harnessed the Darkness of Hycto on his forehead, benefitting the stone's power. He landed on the edge of the pit, instantly attacking the first few of his targets. The Ultimates and the four dragons saw the serpent lashing out at the Brawlers, Swordfighters, and Gunners before the rest of the Subspace Army followed.

What soon followed was a massive battle taking place in the streets of Ginnungagap's city. Ultima managed to use her powers to the test, transforming into a shark-like shape and slashing through a barrage of Shadow Bug monsters in one shot. She then summoned forth a golden bracket, grabbing the Buckots in the air and slamming them into the ground. Ceresor and his sons worked together to hold back the creatures from advancing to the Mii Fighter buildings, unaware that Galleom was already smashing through buildings and devouring the young and old. Only Ultima had seemed to notice.

The young dragoness took off into the sky, coating her spectrum-colored wings in flames as she plowed through swarms of Feyeshes. The serpentine monster was moving fast, which meant that Ultima had to react quickly before Galleom escapes into the outside world of Arcus and claim it for the Shadow Bugs. Surely defeating that prehistoric beast meant victory for the Mii Fighters.

Ultima dived straight for Galleom's body, unaware that the flickering of his tongue could smell her thousands of feet away. He lashed his tail at the black-armored dragoness, attempting to crush her with his massive weight. Ultima quickly converted her own skin into metal, planting her hind legs firmly on the ground. She bit into the giant serpent's tail as hard as she could, attempting to swing it. However, the Darkness of Hycto on the purple serpentine's forehead boosted his attack power, swinging Ultima around like a ragdoll. After ramming her into a house filled with defenseless Miis until she turned back to normal, Galleon surrounded a bruised Ultima with his body, hissing with wrath.

The Miis screamed in terror as they hugged on another. Ultima watched as Galleom dove right in to bite her with his fangs. It would have been too late for Ultima if it was not for Lord Ceresor shooting an explosive fireball into the beast's mouth. The Lord of Arcus landed right in front of his young companion, roaring at the purple snake.

The Heliotrope Titanoboa did not take that remark lightly and went straight for what he saw was the elderly and weaker prey. He slithered fast and tried to snap at Ceresor, who was so high above the creature. Combining the Water and Thunder Rainbolements, Ceresor rained down puddles conducting electricity through them. Once they hit Galleom's skin, the creature roared with hisses, swinging its tail back and forth.

"You people need to evacuate the city immediately!" Ultima told the cowering Miis. "Hide in the forest and take shelter until we defeat that snake monster!"

"But my husband's still out there!" one Mii, who was supposedly a mother of the other Miis, objected.

"Your loved ones are trying to sacrifice themselves for you, meaning you can still live another day," Ultima calmly answered. "Now, gather any survivors and flee into the forest until all is well. Move it!" The Miis then retreated into the city, avoiding the attacks from the other Shadow Bugs as best as they could. Some of the Mii Fighters were also helping the untrained Miis into the surrounding forest.

Ultima started slamming her front paws into the ground, summoning a net of vines from underground to trap Galleom. While the serpentine was struggling with the vines that got tighter the more he moved, Lord Ceresor fired magical blasts in the serpent's face. Ultima tried holding down the beast as hard as possible, but Galleom was just too strong. His tail ripped through the vines, not giving Ultima enough time to react as she was flung to a nearby pillar by Galleon's strength. She struggled in pain as she looked in terror of Lord Ceresor being hit by Galleon's tail. Since he too did not see it coming, Ceresor did not have time to use his powers as he was crushed by the weight of the hundred-foot tail.

"Lord Ceresor!" Ultima screamed. Thankfully, Sozo and Hakai could hear their student's cry over their father while in the middle of a battle from half a mile away.

"…Did something happen to our father?" Hakai asked.

"Come on!" Sozo exclaimed, pushing his brother forward before flying in Galleom's direction. The two dragons dashed as fast as they could to their Father's rescue, teleporting to get to the Heliotrope Titanoboa. Ultima looked above and saw the two dragons breathing flames on Galleom's violet scales. The dragoness was constantly avoiding the serpent's swinging tail, watching as Sozo launched giant balloons filled with cyan ink while Hakai curved into a circular form, summoning a humanoid eye with a stun laser in the middle of the shape. Once Galleom was stunned, Hakai and Sozo began charging up plasma blasts. As Ultima suddenly saw another swing from the creature's tail, she quickly ducked. Sozo and Hakai avoided the attack in time by teleporting toward Ultima, landing in front of her.

"You need to leave the Mii civilians out of the city!" Sozo ordered. "It's too dangerous!"

"My bro's right!" Hakai answered. "We can't risk anyone getting injured!"

"But if we leave, that thing will just destroy all we know on this planet anyway!" Ultima objected. Hakai pondered about that question, wondering if Ultima was right about their current situation.

"…Fair point," Hakai replied. Sozo suddenly saw the purple tail swinging towards them, and he quickly grabbed Hakai with his own mouth and teleporting them into the air. Once they had managed to fly, the two dragon brothers began spitting out flaming rocks at Galleom. With enough brute strength, Galleom opened his mouth and dived straight for the two brothers. His fangs snagged onto Sozo's left wing and Hakai's right wing, both of them the wings without the "hands-in-command" scars. The serpent shut his mouth, shaking his head back and forth. With brute force, Galleom ripped Sozo's and Hakai's caught wings clean off, slamming them into the ground. The beast then devoured the wings he had torn off, looking down upon Ultima.

The wounded Dragosmo took a good look at Galleom. The Darkness of Hycto on the prehistoric beast's forehead was the source of his strength, which would explain how he had mortally wounded Lord Ceresor and permanently grounded Sozo and Hakai. She knew if she ripped the stone from the serpent's skull, Galleom was significantly vulnerable. The Mii Fighters kept pushing against the Shadow Bugs, starting to grow victorious just like many of their countless battles from before. As soon as the serpentine giant attacked her again, Ultima quickly used her teleporting ability to get into the air. Once Galleom slithered towards her, Ultima created many different clones of herself. Each one of them behaved exactly like Ultima, even moving in a chaotic pattern so Galleom had a hard time telling each one apart. Flames and icicles flew into the serpent's face as he lunged towards one of the clones. He was instead met with an electrical-charged blast from the clone's self-destruct. The storm of projectiles did not seem to do much for Galleon as he kept attacking the different clones, seeming as how he was met with explosions of lightning from each one. Once Galleom was diverted enough, the real Ultima made the remaining clones self-destruct and flew straight for his forehead, knocking the violet stone right off the beast's body.

Once the Darkness of Hycto landed softly on the grass-laden ground, Galleom was now weak to Ultima's rapid-jab slashes. The dragoness continued attacking the creature until he was at the rim of the pit, grabbing the dropped stone in the process. With one final hit, Ultima completely shattered Galleom's body into many pieces, with fragments of his long ribcage flying out with bit of organs, flesh, and blood. Defeated, all that remained of the Heliotrope Titanoboa's body fell into the Pit of Ice and Fire, with Ultima dropping the Darkness of Hycto along with him into the pit. Once the army of creatures have heard the cries of Galleom's defeat, they all quickly combusted into their original forms: the Shadow Bugs, retreating back into the pit. The Mii Fighters were successful in holding back the creatures born with hearts of ice once more. Ultima had almost collapsed in exhaustion from that encounter.

The dragoness quickly ran to Sozo and Hakai, who were holding down the areas where each of their individual wing was ripped from. Ultima then saw Lord Ceresor lying down on the ground, barely moving.

"Lord Ceresor," Ultima said happily. "I managed to stop Galleom. I couldn't have done it without you or your sons…" Lord Ceresor coughed harshly, trying to stand up on his four legs. He then stumbled, startling his young companion a bit.

"I… cannot seem to… move…" Lord Ceresor groaned weakly. "…Maybe you three can help take me back… to the Sky Temple…" Ultima was starting to cry from the fact that Lord Ceresor might die from his wounds, troubling her greatly. As soon as the Mii Fighters had gathered around the four dragons in grief, the Smash Ball on Kirby's head flashed bright once more.

* * *

A wet, cold hand touched Kirby's face. The pink puffball opened his eyes and saw Diddy Kong perching right on top of him. Since the monkey was rescued from drowning in the spring, his brown fur was dripping with fresh water. Diddy Kong then shook his body, splashing all over the place. This was enough to encourage Kirby to wake up.

"Sleeping again as usual?" Sheik asked. "Count your lucky stars that the Inkling managed to rescue you and your clone friend." The red Kirby Supporter tapped the real Kirby's face with its stubby hand, making the pink alien giggle a bit.

"Where do you guys suppose Diddy Kong came from?" Dr. Mario asked. "There's no paths around here, so this is basically a peaceful-looking dead end." Lucario placed a hand on Clementine's shoulder, using his aura powers to read her mind.

"According to this Inkling, she managed to spot Diddy Kong dropping his Rocketbarrel Pack from above the spring," Lucario answered. "If that's the case, then that must mean there's a secret way up the mountain."

"So if Diddy Kong came from above the spring, then he must know a way through," the Wii Fit Trainer replied. The monkey nodded in response, hollering as he ran off to a new location in the area. Diddy Kong stopped at some overgrowth, pushing it aside. The fighters saw that Diddy Kong had uncovered a new path that led up the barren mountain. There was a path that spiraled to the top before dropping down at the semiarid desert nearby.

"Good work, Diddy!" the Pokémon Trainer remarked before instantly running up the spiraling path with his Pokéballs in his backpack.

"Wait for us, Red!" Little Mac replied, chasing after him. Soon after, the whole team followed the Pokémon Trainer up the mountain. When they had gone halfway up the mountain, they saw another spring carved through erosion. The pool was leaking into the one down below. All they had to do was traverse higher. When the Smashers got over the edge, they saw that the top was flat, with its path descending into the desert.

The fighters looked at the view from this point, amazed at how beautiful Gallia looked. Everything was bright and colorful, with skies filled with pure white clouds. When they weren't fighting Primaries and Supporters, this island was rather peaceful in some regions, but that was mainly because most of the planet's captives were freed from Galeem's control. But if there was anything this team had learned from their travels, it was that their actions will be recognized the more of their friends they rescue, and they will be ambushed more often. This was not an exception here on top of the rocky mountain as they were about to find out.

"Alright," Fox McCloud told everyone. "Make sure we're stock up on that Miitopian grub before we head down into the desert. Anything heavy on juices is a major option." The fighters checked their pockets to see whatever liquids they could find, making sure they were not low on these kinds of vital resources. All of a sudden, a fully-charged orb of water was shot right towards Link. The Champion of Hyrule had quickly noticed in time and blocked the projectile with his Hylian Shield. The whole team quickly found out, all of them looking at Link as he pulled out his Master Sword. Emerging from the bushes in the back of the mountain were two Supporters: one of them was a feminized version of Corrin – the one who had shot the water orb with Dragon Shot, and the other was Lucina with light red hair dressed in white. With a familiar buzzing sound, a figure with a neon blue blade jumped out and attempted to slam down on Piranha Plant and Yoshi.

"Backslash!" the stranger spoke out, but that voice was one none of the Smashers would recognize. Piranha Plant was grabbed by Yoshi and dragged out of the way.

"Are you kidding me right now!?" the Mii Swordfighter asked. "You get in the mood and company shows up." The stranger that appeared before them was the Shulk Primary, sporting a white aura and red eyes like all other Primaries while the two Supporters with him had just red eyes.

"Not the peculiar type to run around with a Supporter by your side, huh?" the Shulk Primary asked in a voice different from the Hom that the others were comfortable with, noticing the Kirby puppet with them.

"Listen: we're tired of fighting minute after minute," Captain Falcon addressed. "Most of us just wanna go home. Who do you think you are to ambush us like everyone else!?"

"My name is Rex, defender from the Leftherian Archipelago!" the Shulk Primary answered, showing that Rex was the Spirit controlling Shulk. "We are here to attack in the name of Galeem – not because we chose to do it but because we HAVE to do it. Mythra! Pyra! Get those sons of bitches!" The two Supporters both drew their swords and dashed towards the fighters, ready to attack. Setting his eyes on the Pokémon Trainer, the Shulk Primary grabbed ahold of Red as they were teleported to yet another Final Destination-like location.

* * *

The Pokémon Trainer rubbed his head as he felt the soft ground underneath him. The air smelled fresh and pure, with caving cliffs that were clearly not possible for ordinary lands to corrode into. In the sky was a mechanical giant permanently frozen in place. It was Gaur Plains.

"Galeem has told me about your unique ability to summon three different creatures into battle," the Shulk Primary said. "So summon a creature and let's fight!" Red jumped to the back of the stage and quickly pulled out a Pokéball. He summoned Squirtle and began the fight. Squirtle started the match by using Withdraw, with the Pokémon curling up into his shell and rushing at the captured fighter. Just when Squirtle's shell was about to hit the Shulk Primary, the captured fighter managed to use Vision in time. The blue effect that came from the rival forced Red to switch out his Pokémon.

"Return!" the Pokémon Trainer said, summoning Squirtle back into his Pokéball. In a split second after the Shulk Primary finished his counter-attack, Red unleashed Ivysaur. As soon as the Grass-type Pokémon was summoned, Ivysaur quickly summoned vines from his flower bud and constantly slapped the Shulk Primary.

Once the captured fighter jumped out of the way, he pulled out his Monado blade and used the Buster Art. Ivysaur quickly used Razor Leaf to space himself out. Once the Shulk Primary was racked up with enough damage, Ivysaur used Bullet Seed and began shooting the captured fighter into the air. Then, the Pokémon used Vine Whip and yanked the Shulk Primary in front of him. Once the captured fighter was at a certain angle, the Pokémon Trainer quickly switched out to Charizard and made him use Flare Blitz. It was a perfect hit at the Shulk Primary, and the captured fighter instantly took a one-way trip into the blast zone. After the Shadow Bugs dissolved the background of Gaur Plains, Pokémon Trainer quickly called back Charizard before he was suspended in midair. Red then saw the body of Shulk protected by Rex's Spirit by means of the blue barrier. The Spirit Sniper appeared in Red's hand, meaning it was time for another roulette.

* * *

Back at the mountaintop, the rest of Pokémon Trainer's friends were busy attacking the Lucina and Corrin Supporters. Both Clementine and Gilbert were covering each other's backs as they both covered themselves in walls of projectiles. Once the Lucina and Corrin Supporters were knocked out far enough, Piranha Plant and Kirby managed to grab them and pummel the puppet fighters until they were released. Once the Supporters escaped, Jigglypuff and Peach both slapped the puppet fighters so hard their shields broke. Meanwhile, the red Kirby Supporter was unharmed as it simply sat near the edge of the mountaintop. Since it was two Normal Legendary Spirit Supporters going up against twenty-one, it seemed pretty fair in the amount of power both teams had. However in this case, the odds were against the puppet fighters. Bowser stomped towards them and charged a powerful lunge kick, sending the Corrin and Lucina Supporters in the red Kirby puppet's direction. They would have managed to survive if it wasn't for the allied Supporter that pulled out a flaming hammer and whacked the two puppets' heads off. Despite being Blades, the Spirits that had possessed there clones were just as weak as everyone else. Once the defeated clones disintegrated into Shadow Bugs, the Mythra and Pyra Spirits, which were red and lacked the rainbow aura, both flew into Kirby's body and got themselves absorbed into Faker's stone.

The Pokémon Trainer had arrived through the vortex, carrying the unconscious body of Shulk. The Master Legendary Rex Spirit emerged from the Hom with the mist of the shattered Galeem Locks. Kirby managed to absorb the mist and Spirit, meaning it was time for another vision much to his surprise. The pink puffball froze in place once more, his eyes glowing white.

* * *

Kirby woke up with the rainbow aura and golden eyes again, seeing that he was in a semi-dark room with candles aglow. Lord Ceresor was lying down in his bed, with Sozo, Hakai, and Ultima standing next to him. Sozo and Hakai had their wounds stitched together, and they managed to survive Galleom's threat. Their father however was not so lucky. Now the Lord of Arcus was resting on his stomach, looking at his closest companions with sadness.

"I am afraid I… cannot go on with ruling Arcus any longer," Lord Ceresor said, coughing harshly. "It is time the dragons of this planet move on without me…"

"Lord Ceresor, no!" Ultima objected. "There has to be a way to bring you back! We can use the Life and Magic Rainbolements to heal you and even regrow the wings that your son's once had! I-"

"Ultima, it isn't right," Hakai answered. "Even I am not crazy enough to go beyond those limits of... bringing our dying father back and regrowing lost limbs."

"I'm afraid my sons are right," Ceresor answered. "Necromancy and dark magic have been considered unfair for many reasons involving our lifespan, so we had to make it forbidden. Like the seasons that cycle around, we all must change… give it or better or for worse."

"But… what'll happen to you…?" Ultima asked, beginning to tear up. Ceresor only chuckled weakly.

"My dear, sweet child…" Ceresor sighed, gracing her delicate face gently with his talon. "The reason why you can neither bring back parts of someone's body or even resurrect loved ones is because… their own time has come. There are many different populations, both alien and dragonkin alike, that know immortality is not the answer. Those that are dying wish for their tale to end since they have already lived it up to the fullest. They had fought the toughest battles. They had watched their children start lives of their own. They had seen all the events that had followed. Whether good or bad, they wish to see what happens next, and my lifespan is no different. I helped you uncover who you truly are. Now it is time you take my place in the Throne of Arcus, Ultima, and show your students my teachings."

"Me?" Ultima asked. "I don't even know how to rule a planet, give or take a few days!"

"You will find your way," Ceresor answered. "I must go soon. My place in the Great Beyond is waiting for me. You did your part, Ultima. You had managed to save a species and ours. It was your fight for freedom. That is what makes you the next Queen of Arcus. Hopefully my sons can guide you through."

"…Lord Ceresor!" Ultima cried, her claws ready to tear through the bed sheets as she tightened her grip.

"…Remember what I have taught you," Lord Ceresor whispered. "The Almighty Father… is waiting for me… goodbye… my… children…" With one final breath, Lord Ceresor had succumbed to his wounds. Ultima tried holding in her tears, but it was alas impossible as she broke down on Ceresor's deathbed through weeping. The one she looked up to all her years was deceased.

"Our father was a great ruler," Sozo addressed with grief in his face. "Let's hope his legacy is never forgotten…"

The next day, as Kirby watched through another time lapse, Ultima was standing in front of Lord Ceresor's grave. The burial itself was located in the Sky Temple's garden, hence why it was decorated with flowers of all species throughout Arcus. The tombstone was a large cross decorated with stone angels blowing trumpets of glory. Dragons with each one breathing an individual Rainbolement were found at the edges. The encryption carved into the tombstone read "Ceresor: Lord of Arcus – The Dragonkin Will Not Forget You".

Ultima shed another tear from her eye, looking away in shame. Why didn't she save Ceresor when she got the chance? Even then, she doubted there was a change for the better as it is. As the Lord of Arcus said, it was time to move on.

"Depressing, isn't it?" a familiar voice asked. Ultima quickly picked up the sound, immediately recognizing it.

 _That voice…_ Ultima thought. She turned around to see the black entity and his bubblegum slime companion behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Ultima growled softly.

"I'm sorry," the entity replied. "Did I arrive at a bad time? It must be because you seem unfit for being a ruler."

"You tried to corrupt me," Ultima snapped, approaching closer to the black mist. "I don't know what is your fucking problem, but I will get to your head if it takes me thousands of years."

"Try me," the entity objected, the pink slime purring on his crystalline arm. "I have been around long before you or the most recent Lord of Arcus even existed, and I had to go through sacrifice just to get here. I am more than what you think, and I have ways of deceiving you. Once I get my way, there will be nothing that stands between me and my goal. With you as an exception, I only see dragons as corrupt and sin-driven as every other species I came across…"

"…Funny," Ultima pondered. "That almost sounded like a being I was warned to be careful of… Who are you…?" The entity merely chuckled at that question.

"You are… so clever to recognize me," the entity growled. "Like I said, I am an unpredictable force that strives for whatever he desires. What you are standing on is the birth of a new nation."

"Get out of my head," Ultima growled.

"I will vanish as you have commanded," the black mist replied. "However, I will appear before my next target tomorrow night when the moon is new. After all… don't you just love the feeling of chaos?" Through evil-sounding laughter, the black mist and his bubblegum slime vanished through the wind. Just a second later, Sozo walked in.

"Ultima?" Sozo asked. "Who were you talking to?" He only managed to hear Ultima from a decent distance, so it was hard for him to understand.

"Uh… nobody," Ultima answered nervously. "Just… practicing lines in case of political commentary…"

"We don't discuss politics anymore," Sozo answered with suspicion.

"You… never know!" Ultima said.

"Whatever you think, you are needed for the coronation," Sozo replied. "Let's go." Once both dragons walked out of the garden, Kirby's Smash Ball flashed bright once again.

* * *

The pink orb felt water from Squirtle's Water Gun move splash onto his face. Kirby turned around to meet with the Pokémon's face. Red laughed as Squirtle hopped back into his arms.

"We don't need to know you're up again," Samus said. "By the way, we got another friend." Standing right in front of Kirby was Shulk, rescued from the Lock's captivity.

"Hey, Shulk?" Fox asked. "You said there were six decillion, forty-eight nonillion, seven hundred and forty-two octillion, and five hundred and seventy-nine septillion ways this can end."

"Plus fourteen million, six hundred and five," Shulk corrected.

"Whatever," Fox continued, pretending to avoid that fact as he shook his hands in a stately manner. "Regardless of how many, can you give us a little recap of how many futures are still here? I get the feeling that a lot more are where we don't even make it up to this point…" Shulk gladly grabbed ahold of the Monado's handle, his eyes flashing blue as he looked through so many futures.

"Thankfully, there are eight hundred and fifty-three sextillion futures available to us," Shulk answered. "That doesn't mean we don't have more than one future in which we win."

"Makes sense," Fox said. "Let's head to the desert, people." The Star Fox mercenary traveled down the road to the semiarid desert up north, and the whole gang, including the red Kirby Supporter, followed after him. Kirby stayed behind for a while and quickly coughed up Faker's stone. It was still dry and lacking cracks after this whole time, still giving off that dark violet texture behind the golden Smash Ball symbol.

Kirby knew that somewhere out there is Faker herself, waiting for him to come back. If the pink demon was to return with his friends, then that stone she gets back might recover parts of her amnesia, maybe even giving the other fighters clues about Galeem's past.

"Kirby!" Captain Falcon called out. The pink puffball heard the bounty hunter call out his name, and he quickly inhaled the stone again before meeting up with his friends.

And whoever was the third fighter to survive Galeem's Movement of the Light, this person would surely meet up with this band of heroes and villains in the semiarid desert.


	56. Pt 56: The Hero of Light vs The World

The semiarid desert was dotted with cacti of all sorts of species, bathing under the heated light of the sun. Through the blazing, dry warmth, Kirby and his companions kept walking on the dusty path. Even though they stocked up on those Miitopian drinks, they were starting to run out.

"Who knew that our mission to purge the Lord of Light could be this intense?" Fox asked, watching the remaining droplets spill out from his Common Tornado Lemonade beverage.

"I know we have plenty of drinks to last a few days, but we need a faster means of transportation around here," Gilbert addressed, wiping his brow. "If only there was some sort of train to transport us across this wasteland…"

"Speaking of which," Bowser added, quickly noticing an old train station that seemed to be mocked up from the mid-1800's. There was a locomotive engine that was hooked up to three cabooses, running on a cart packed with charcoal. The fighters quickly approached the train station, checking to see what they could find about the place. Sitting on an empty stool was a Normal Novice Spirit. This Spirit was a Wester from Planet Popstar, his hat covering the top half of his face.

"You fellers shouldn't be here," the Spirit said. The Smashers noticed the generic cowboy enemy talking to them.

"Listen," Peach reminded. "We're just looking for a ride. We weren't here to intrude on your territory…"

"Intruding?" the Wester Spirit asked. "The only intruders in my turf are Galeem's varmints. Surely you ain't jestin'."

"And that's why we're here," Shulk replied. "We are on a mission to defeat the Seraph of Order and save your universes. The least you can do is lend us a ride on that train…"

"Sorry. No can do," the Wester answered. "Tracks have closed down five years ago and I haven't bothered to check 'em since."

"We can pay you," the Wii Fit Trainer objected, pulling out a bag of Spirit Points.

"The only treasure I ever love is the sweet, warm air of the desert I live in," the Spirit said. "Now y'all better vamoose or I'll give you mavericks a swingin'." The Wester Spirit pointed to the side of the train station, revealing a dried-up tree laced with empty nooses, some of them rotting away. In a few of the nooses are dusty, cracking skeletons covered in bits of green flesh filled with maggots and flies, though they were just for decoration to scare off the common fool. However, with the Popstar citizen, this was a rather serious deal. The fighters knew there was no other way to travel through the desert except on foot, so they turned around and walked away from the station.

Just then, before she took another step, Samus heard a faint clattering noise coming from inside the station. The armored bounty hunter started getting rather curious from the peculiar noise. Once she walked back to the train station, the other fighters saw her walking towards the Wester Spirit from before.

"Can I at least search through the station for supplies?" Samus asked. The Spirit lifted up his ten-gallon hat, confused as what the bounty hunter just said to him.

"This is rather strange," the Wester muttered. "No one's ever asked to go through my home. Eh… I don't see why not since I usually sleep outside. Just a fair warning there's nothing of value here."

"Thanks." The Smashers on the team watched as Samus slowly opened the door, poking her arm cannon through. She saw that the windows were boarded up, with only rays of light shining through, and multiple safes were already broken open. Dollars and coins were spilling out onto the floor, showing that the Wester really didn't care for riches. Kirby and his Supporter, Villager, Piranha Plant, Captain Falcon, Sheik, Mii Swordfighter, Link, Fox, Dr. Mario, Inkling, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Jigglypuff, Yoshi, Pikachu, Lucario, Bowser, Peach, Mr. Game & Watch, Pokémon Trainer, Diddy Kong, and Shulk all squeezed themselves through the door, taking a look around at the supposedly-abandoned train station.

"Everyone stay quiet," Samus alerted the group. "Whoever or whatever made that noise is still here…" When each of the Smashers was looking around in the darkness, Kirby and his friends heard the pitter-patter of footsteps running across the room. Each one of them kept their guard up as they continued their search.

"Stay where you're at," Samus said, pressing a small button on her helmet and illuminating her visor to the point it was a literal flashlight. "We know how to fight, so there is no point in resisting." They all suddenly heard the stranger trip while clattering against antiques. Samus quickly turned in the direction of the sound, her eyes widening slightly as she saw the figure that was hiding from them. The other fighters instantly saw who she was looking at, and it was the third fighter to survive Galeem's attack.

The person was clothed in purple, laden with brown leather and a pouch. He was equipped with a sword, and had a smooth mop of brown hair. He cried in shock as he saw all these peculiar warriors in front of him. Kirby and the gang were also alarmed by this complete stranger and backed away while screaming. However, the Piranha Plant pushed himself towards the figure they had found, sensing a familiar scent.

"Piranha Plant?" the stranger asked, recognizing the generic plant in that team. The Piranha Plant ran towards the stranger, hugging him ever so tightly. The figure laughed at that gesture, confusing the other fighters. He noticed the group of fighters the carnivorous flower brought along and pushed the plant aside to talk with the team.

"You know the Piranha Plant?" Samus asked, lowering her arm cannon.

"We've been together for five years before our separation," the stranger answered. "Didn't think I would find him here…" The stranger noticed the fighters still in the room, not even aware that he was a friend to the Piranha Plant.

"Do you… mind telling us your name?" Peach asked.

"My name is Ireburn, or Eleven the Luminary," the stranger responded. "However, you can just simply call me the Hero as they address me through stories in my homeworld, who's basically a descendant of the Line of Erdrick. I pretty much have a LOT of names, so you can just call me Ireburn or Eleven, whichever one suits you." The stranger, now introducing himself as Ireburn, Eleven the Luminary, or the Hero, noticed the lovable pink puffball in the group.

"You're the one who would save us all from the reign of Galeem, aren't you?" The Hero spoke to Kirby. The pink puffball pointed to himself, nodding at that remark.

"Quite an honor to be part of your team," the Luminary said.

"Now wait just a minute," Fox objected. "We don't even know you outside of your name and you don't seem trustworthy…"

"How would you feel if your world was destroyed by literal light and you were the only survivor?" Ireburn asked. The fighters were starting to wonder about that remark, thinking about what this could mean. From what Eleven had addressed, it seemed as though he had managed to survive Galeem's lasers.

"You wouldn't happen to be one of the members of the Forgotten Resistance, wouldn't you?" Captain Falcon asked.

"Of course I am," the Hero answered. "Why else can I instantly recognize this Piranha Plant? My survival had me involving using my wits… and a whole pack of spells."

"So… Ireburn… looks like we could use you on our team," Samus told him. "You said something about spells, so we can use it to our advantage. What 'ya say?" The Hero walked towards them, ready to take on this challenge to fight against the light itself.

"I accept," the Hero answered. Just then, the Wester Spirit walked in after hearing the commotion. He suddenly saw the Luminary Hero standing in the group of fighters.

"This the guy that was snoopin' around?" the Spirit asked. "Well, considering how I don't allow anyone to access the train due to unrepaired railroads, I suppose I can screw it and start the locomotive. You people clearly convinced me." The team of fighters then went outside back the way they came, watching as smoke was rolling through the locomotive's chimney.

"What're you fellers waitin' for?" the Wester Spirit asked, conducting the train. "Get on!" Each of the fighters got into one of the front cabooses behind the tank engine, with Kirby helping his red Supporter sit down. Once everyone was in their seats, the train started moving. The clanking and rubbing of the metallic wheels against the rough railroad forced the tank engine to ride at a steady pace.

Ireburn noticed the Supporter living peacefully among the other fighters, even though it sported the red eyes that the rest of its kind had. He noticed how caring Kirby was towards a clone of himself, especially when it was forced to restrict freedom among all of the multiverse's civilians.

"Hi there, little… Slime?" Ireburn asked, unaware of what Kirby actually was.

"It's…i-it's… Kirby," the pink demon answered with spattering.

"Any ideas on why a Supporter is on your side?" The Hero saw that the red Kirby Supporter was covered in bandages.

"...W-wounded," Kirby answered without trying to make a fool of himself.

"What he's-a trying to say is that-a these Supporters have Spirits trapped in them, meaning that they still carry their conscious, just without the will of freedom," Dr. Mario answered.

"I already know that," the Luminary said. "It's rather strange that these Spirits want to return to their individual universes, but Galeem is just keeping them in there."

"If you want your answer, then Kirby had swallowed it and is now inside of him," Link noted. "He got the stone from a friend, and he's been getting visions of the past that could tie into why Galeem did what he had to do and how he did not arrive sooner." Suddenly, the train somehow stopped, and its screeching tracks halted the tank engine right in place.

"Stay where you're at!" a voice called from outside. The fighters quickly got out of the caboose, noticing the semiarid desert thousands of feet from where they first met the Hero. They had stopped at the foot of an active volcano, its rivers of lava heating the surrounding area up to temperatures worse than the blazing sands. Luckily, right in front of the mid-1800's locomotive was a giant beanstalk that led up to an ocean of clouds. On those clouds were the Floating Islands. However, the group that stopped the train in general was the Zero Suit Samus Primary and her small group of three green Snake Supporters.

"Don't think you're going anywhere," the Zero Suit Samus Primary addressed, "especially when you're under the watchful eye of the Boss!" The image of the Master Legendary Spirit flashed on the captured fighter, revealing it to be the Boss from Snake's universe. The Wester Spirit, not bothering taking any part of this, flew away from the locomotive.

"Not again…" Link sighed, pulling out his Master Sword. The rest of the fighters, including the Kirby Supporter, prepared their weapons and got ready to fight.

"A Primary! I've been waiting a long time for this!" Ireburn spoke out loud, pulling out the sword that was passed down through his lineage after Erdrick with his right hand while markings of spells swirled around his left one.

"Be careful, Eleven!" Captain Falcon called out, blocking one Snake Supporter's jabs with his elbows. The whole group of fighters began spreading apart to avoid the chaotic rain of explosive grenades, missiles, and C4s that the Supporter team instantly sent out. Link managed to provide enough cover with his Hylian Shield, and both Fox and Yoshi got behind the Champion of Hyrule and spammed their individual projectiles.

Ireburn the Hero quickly avoided the blasts by creating a magical shield out of one of his spells: the Bounce ability. He was managing to reflect all these projectiles for a short while until he quickly grabbed the Zero Suit Samus Primary. Ireburn was ready to bash her head with his shield that was also passed through his family, but the captured fighter quickly spawned a vortex between the two, transporting then to the Omega version of Frigate Orpheon, where the Parasite Queen crawled about in her spinning capsule that was half-open.

"So you must be one of the Forgotten Resistance soldiers," the Zero Suit Samus Primary added, swinging her Plasma Whip. "Prepare to meet your fate!" The captured fighter used her Jet Boots to flip in the air and attempt to bury the Hero, but he quickly used another spell – Kaclang – to transform himself into metal. This move also granted him super armor for a short time, so he quickly followed up with the Kazap spell, electrocuting the Zero Suit Samus Primary.

The captured fighter quickly jumped and landed right in front of the Luminary, right when Ireburn, who turned back to normal, ran up towards her and ignited his sword with ice with the Kacrackle Slash spell. The Primary was quickly frozen in ice, allowing Ireburn to quickly follow up with a Sizzle spell. The captured fighter then instantly broke out of her icy prison, and she began swinging her Plasma Whip around her body.

"You're rather strong," the Zero Suit Samus Primary added, "for a newbie." The Hero then started blocking the captured fighter's whip with his shield. Ireburn then managed to jump above her and slash downward with his sword. The clanging of the metal against the futuristic space weapon that the Primary held ringed throughout the stage, but Eleven the Luminary managed to push the captured fighter off the edge. He then jumped up and cast the spell Zoom in which he launched himself high into the air and gimped the Zero Suit Samus Primary with the tornado that boosted him upward. Try as she may with her Jet Boot recovery, the captured warrior could not get back onto the stage.

The Shadow Bugs dissolved through the stage as the Primary was combusted at the blast zone. The Boss escaped from Zero Suit Samus and was now protecting them both with the barrier. The Hero was frozen in place as the Spirit Sniper spawned in his hands.

 _Well, this is new,_ Ireburn thought to himself, taking careful aim for the unconscious fighter. He noticed the only ammo for this weapon was Zero Suit Samus' Fighter Spirit, praying to get back. With that said, Eleven took careful aim at the bounty hunter and fired.

* * *

Electrocuting the last Snake Supporter until it dropped dead, Pikachu watched as the separated Spirit of Otacon floated out of the disintegrating Supporters and merged back together into one before disappearing into the air. The other fighters rested near the rough, cool rocks of the volcano. Kirby had noticed the puppet fighter of his was trembling, unfit for fighting against its own kind. The pink alien boy lowered down the battered mallet it brought along, helping persuade the Supporter.

"Look!" the Mii Swordfighter called out to his friends. "The Hero's back!" The other fighters saw the vortex both Ireburn and the Primary entered through appear right in front of them. As soon as Eleven the Luminary appeared carrying the sleeping body of Zero Suit Samus, the Boss Spirit and the white mist quickly entered inside Kirby. The pink puffball's eyes flashed white again, and he dropped limp to the ground.

"What's with him?" the Luminary asked.

"He does this every time we rescue another one of our friends," Link told him. "The Master Spirits bind themselves to the fighters through the Galeem Lock, and a special stone that Kirby swallowed is absorbing them just so he can see through the past. All we need to do is wait until we finish our mission and see through the Lord of Light's past. Right now, we have to move up to the Floating Islands, hit the beach, and sail to the island where the Rathalos resides." The Hylian started to climb up the thick Vine of the beanstalk, cautiously planting his feet on the humongous leaves. The Inkling and Lucario followed after Link, and soon everyone else was climbing the stalk. The Kirby Supporter took it upon itself to carry the original round icon that was paralyzed at the time on its back. Due to its recovery and deep intellectual understanding, the Kirby Supporter knew these fighters were trying to rescue the Spirits trapped within.

* * *

Kirby, hearing the voices of people cheering around him, woke up to see himself back in the city of Civiltatula. He saw literally all of the dragons in the world: Eastern and Western, single-headed and multi-headed, winged and wingless, alligator-like and serpent-like, feathered and scaled, and much more. They were all gathered in front of the large stump where the Dragosmo Solstice was held, which was located at the center of town. Kirby then saw a good portion of the crowd step aside to let Sozo, Hakai, and Ultima through.

The spectrum-winged dragoness was coated in the royal armor Ceresor had on him before, but it was downcast and dull in color, and she didn't even have the helmet on. By her side were the two sons the Lord of Arcus had, with Sozo holding a baton in his mouth and Hakai carrying the dirtied helmet. The soldiers of Arcus and even all the Dragosmo students marched behind them. Ultima's parents were also watching her coronation from the sidelines, and she noticed them filled with pride and hope for her as she made her way to the giant stump. Only Galeem and Phoenix were absent from the crowd.

Hakai and Sozo stood in front of Ultima once she got up to the stump. Her heart was beating fast, feeling insecure as she feared she would become a terrible leader. However, she wanted to fulfill Ceresor's legacy and not let his line die down.

Hakai sat up on his hind legs, grabbing onto the helmet with his front ones and gently placing it on Ultima's bowing head. The dragons in the crowd applauded over the crowning of the young dragoness. Then, Sozo slowly placed on the wooden rings of the stump the baton he carried along. The baton itself was coated with markings and ancient languages, swirling like the fires of the winged beasts.

"Play your song," Sozo told her. "Every new ruler must play a special song at least once in his or her life."

"But… I don't even have one," Ultima objected. Sozo then nudged the baton closer to her.

"This special relic can see through hearts," Sozo answered. "If your heart is pure, then you are fit to be the next ruler. Now pick up the baton and let it guide you on your way to the ultimate fight." Ultima, her question answered, picked up the baton with her mouth. She then flapped her wings and soared into the air, looking down upon the world's population of dragons. She used her right front paws to take the baton from her mouth and hold it, and adrenaline coursed through her spine as she saw her future.

The future of leadership. The future of nations. The future of Arcus can be led by her command as long as she is wise and just. With her heart stopping and her breath being held in, Ultima raised the baton and started to move it downward as fast as possible.

What startled her out of nowhere was an orchestra blaring throughout Civiltatula, and the baton she was holding glowed a vivid color. The music played through G major and B minor, and the melody according to Kirby was constructed in a similar fashion to Faker's song. Even though she wanted to stop, the baton's magic made her move through the music that played out of nowhere without any musical instruments in sight. Through one third of the song, Ultima noticed the rainbow swirls dance out from the baton she was conducting with. These swirls created a simulation around her, with each individual color acting out the Rainbolement they represented.

As the music went on, Ultima noticed the simulation was constantly changing, with the mists shifting into things similar to musical instruments and synchronizing in harmony with the melody the baton generated. Ultima smiled as the music stopped for a brief moment to hear the crowd chanting her name alongside her lifelong reign.

"Ultima! Long live the queen! Ultima! Long live the queen!" The armor she was wearing suddenly started to shift into a gorgeous platinum laced with the design similar to Tabuu's wings carved into them. Many different places also had gems the size of an average human's eyeball located on the armor, most noticeably on her chestplate. Once the song ended with a big finish, the rainbow mist splashed out in all directions, her armor flashing against the light of the sun. All of Arcus' dragons cheered that day as she descended back onto the large stump.

Ultima looked around, seeing her new people cheering for her as she gave the baton back to Sozo. Her parents flew towards her onstage and hugged her lovingly, much to her surprise.

"We're so proud of you," Toropikaru wept. "We had no idea you would become a literal queen of the world one day." Ultima laughed at that remark, breaking apart the hug with tears in her eyes.

"You can come stay at the Sky Temple if you want," Ultima told them.

"It's alright," Metallio assured. "We already love the simple life as it is. But we can still visit regardless! If only your brothers were here to see this…" Ultima blocked out the sound of the crowd cheering for her from her head, thinking about her own brothers. How they were left out in all of this.

Hours had passed, and a large celebration was held at the Sky Temple. While the guards were keeping a good watch over the place, Ultima was walking through one of Arcus' forests with Sozo and Hakai. As Kirby watched, he knew where this would go.

"I'm nervous, Sozo," Ultima explained. "How are my brothers gonna react when they see me as their new queen?"

"They will find out sooner or later," Sozo answered. "Besides, we need them as really important placeholders since we can no longer fly."

"But… can't you use Air or Magic Rainbolements to travel…?" Ultima asked.

"Wish we could, but our wings truly take us to new heights," Hakai noted. "Even though these two elements can boost our jump, without at least another wing these abilities are useless. The wings truly power the abilities that involve flight, and that basically makes us crippled to oblivion."

"Plus, we need Galeem and Phoenix to take our places as Lords of Light and Darkness," Sozo said. "Even though we had seen the struggles of their past catch up to them in recent years, they are still the best students in our own eyes. Traditions allow teachers to transfer the powers of the Seraphim of Balance through their best students when they are no longer fit. For that said, we have chosen your brothers." The three dragons then stopped in front of a big tree with a large hole at the top. The only way in was covered with a curtain, and the branches were decorated with small, white crystals.

"That's strange," Ultima remarked in wonder. "Usually crystals like these don't show up unless a new fertile egg has been laid…"

"I'm sure you may find your brother's surprise… unexpected," Sozo said. "This is also taking into consideration that even we don't know what is going on here." Ultima then took off into the air and landed in front of the large hole in the tree. She knocked on the wooden surface with her front paws, waiting for someone to answer. Much to her surprise, Galeem himself pushed aside the curtain to see his sister standing before him.

"Wow…" Galeem said, admiring the royal armor she was wearing. "What happened to you?"

"Lord Ceresor is dead," Ultima answered. "For traditional reasons, I took his place. May I please come in?"

"Of course," Galeem responded, walking inside. "If I had figured out my own sister was the Queen of Arcus, I would've thought about it sooner." When Ultima looked around, she saw the new home that her white-armored brother had found.

"I hope you don't mind the… unexpected company," Galeem said as he was approaching Medley, who was resting in a nest. Ultima was rather curious to see the golden-snowflake dragoness slowly and carefully lift herself up to reveal an egg. The egg was a pure white like Galeem, but spotted with the golden snowflakes of Medley. That right there was entirely real.

"I'm… I'm…" Ultima stammered with the good kind of shock.

"That's right," Galeem said cheerfully. "You're gonna be an aunt." Ultima admired the beautiful egg that was protected by Medley.

"I am… so amazed by you, Galeem," Ultima said with tears of joy. "You have finally become a father. Now, if you may, would you mind having to listen to what I say?" Galeem nodded, ready to accept the new queen's word.

"I need you to become… the new Lord of Light," Ultima continued, walking outside. "Sozo would not ask of this right now, but something terrible happened to one of his wings and can no longer fly." When Galeem looked down on the branch, he saw the scars where Sozo's left wing and Hakai's right wing were torn off. Seeing as how this was a great situation, Galeem was taking up thoughts into his own head.

"You're saying you need me to be the Lord of Light," Galeem said. "How come?"

"According to tradition, all Lords of Light and Darkness are teachers, and their best students take their places when they are no longer incapable of holding this much responsibility," Ultima responded. "Looks like you have no choice when others won't risk it. Don't worry about your family. They can be brought along too." Galeem looked back on his now-found wife Medley, who had just started getting ready by slipping a pouch on her neck and carefully rolling the egg into it.

"I accept," Galeem sighed. Ultima then glided to the ground and met up with Sozo and Hakai. Galeem and Medley slowly lowered to the soft grass.

"Now that we got the Lord of Light part outta the way, howsabout we find something for the Lord of Darkness?" Hakai asked.

"Don't worry," Ultima responded, heading off into the sunset. "I know just the person…" As the group of dragons journeyed to their next destination, the Smash Ball flashed on Kirby's head. His vision was now over, and he woke up with the Hero splashing cold water on his face.

"The rest of your friends said that your little vision was over, so I just thought I'd wake you up…" Ireburn responded.

"By the way, I'm also up," Zero Suit Samus, now free from her slavery, spoke out. Kirby saw both he an his friends already made it up to the Floating Islands and are now resting near a campfire. The sun was still high near the sky, so the sun was taking slower to set than normally.

"Now all we have to do is continue our mission," Lucario told everyone.

"But we just sat down and relaxed," Bowser objected.

"At this point, Galeem's forces are pulling out faster and stronger," Lucario answered. "Any moment now, they're going to overwhelm us if we're not careful. Let's get a move on then…" The Aura Pokémon then jumped from island to island, racing across the peculiar terrain. The Pokémon Trainer quickly called out Squirtle just so he could put out the fire with Water Gun. As soon as that was out of the way, the other fighters, including Kirby and his Supporter, followed after Lucario through the Floating Islands.

* * *

While that was going on, Galeem himself watched through the magical mirror on his crystal throne, admiring how Eleven the Luminary was fighting with the reawakened fighters.

"Looks like these brave warriors are getting stronger," Galeem said. "I suppose I could… advance my game a bit…"


	57. Pt 57: The Floating Islands

Becoming rather exhausted, Kirby's party tried avoiding between the Floating Islands as they jumped across each one. In the distance, they had managed to spot a much larger island right in front of them. They headed on over to this new landmark that they had just spotted. What they had seen was a plain landscape reminiscent of Kirby's homeworld, including a race dotted with food.

"That's strange," Fox said. "Who would attend an empty race track littered with food when there's no crowd to see it?" Kirby, noticing the familiar setup, tried to figure out who could set up a location like this. Then, speakers hiding in the trees resounded.

 _I see you've found my little challenge!_ There was a voice that also sounded familiar to Kirby, but no one else had recognized the person. Because the pink puffball had gotten his memories back through the visions, he remembered that shrill voice to be none other than Lord Hyness himself, former priest of the Jambastion Empire and follower of Void Termina. But where was he on this island…?

 _Everybody get to your starting positions,_ Lord Hyness' voice continued. Without warning, some sort of strange energy transported all the Smashers in the team at the starting line.

 _You better move your butts and eat as much food as possible,_ the voice spoke out. _Get to at least eleven for a special prize! Oh, and also try to run away from a wall that'll crush you at any moment…_

"What!?" both Zero Suit Samus and Samus exclaimed. With a booking thud, a gray stone wall appeared right behind the fighters and started sliding towards them. Soon, the fighters ran as fast as they could while collecting and eating as much food as possible. The rubble of the shattered walls spread out as the wall raced after them, and the fighters were starting to become careful of which path they take on the track and how much food they can cram into their mouths. However, because it was difficult running and eating at the same time, each of the team members was losing energy fast as the wall was about to catch up.

Kirby was going through the same problem too as he was trying to get his Supporter companion to keep up with him, but he had just remembered he can use his sucking ability. He knew that it would be breaking the rules of the Gourmet Race, but there was no time to think. With a large inhale, the pink demon made himself into a black hole that carried all the grub into his mouth and the other fighters towards him as the walls set up in the tracks shattered from the brute force of the one heading straight for them. Kirby didn't swallow his companions, but he managed to swallow all the food in the race. The stone wall instantly stopped behind the gathered teammates. As they had all seen, they had noticed they were just beyond the finish line. Standing at the end of the Gourmet Race track was the King Dedede Primary, his red eyes and white aura flashing.

"Gourmet Race over!" Lord Hyness' voice growled from King Dedede's body. "That was a rather dirty sport of cheating!"

"So what?" Captain Falcon asked. "Your tyrannical ruler had already cheated!" That remark only made the Primary rather angry, clenching his hammer as the image of the Lord Hyness Spirit flashed on his round belly which revealed a robed mage with a green face, swirled eyes, two horns, and a large nose.

"Listen, Squidward," Fox explained while mocking Hyness' appearance. "We can make this quick. Don't think we'll submit without a fight!"

"So be it…" the King Dedede Primary exclaimed as he swung his hammer against the challenging fighters. The Hero quickly blocked the Primary's hammer with his sword, pushing against the brute force before pushing the captured fighter back. Fox began firing his blaster, but even the lasers weren't strong enough to stop the Gordo that the King Dedede Primary instantly threw at the Star Fox mercenary. With quick timing, Fox activated his reflector and bounced the shield, but the captured fighter quickly inhaled the Gordo and spat it back faster than before. Ireburn quickly jumped in front of the anthropomorphic pilot and used his Bounce spell to reflect the Gordo again. The damage was multiplied on the Gordo, meaning it did more damage to the Primary than before. The captured fighter immediately used his Super Dedede Jump move, ready to crash onto the group of Smashers before Little Mac used his counter-attack. The sheer impact made the King Dedede Primary fly fast and far, and the two Kirbies jumped high and swung their flaming mallets, finishing the battle.

King Dedede's body slid on the ground, with the Lord Hyness Spirit emerging from his confinement. The wings of the Galeem Lock shattered into the white mist, and they both entered Kirby's body.

"Why do they keep throwing these crazy traps at us!?" Gilbert asked, both he and Bowser walking up next to an unconscious King Dedede. The other fighters gathered near Kirby's paralyzed body, waiting for the pink puffball to wake up.

* * *

Kirby, despite being ghost-like, felt the salty wind on his face. He opened his eyes to the cold, night sky. He realized he was near the seashore, with a stone hut next to him. There was a light flickering in the hut, and he saw Ultima, the scarred sons of Ceresor, and Galeem with his wife and unhatched egg stop at the hut.

"I suppose Phoenix is already living a quiet life with Katzen and an unborn child?" Ultima asked, a smile on her face.

"Maybe," Galeem answered, gently rubbing the egg in Medley's pouch in front of her chest. "After all, I think Glimmeress could have a potential cousin in the near future…"

"Whether he has a family or not doesn't make an excuse for him to be the next Lord of Darkness," Hakai objected. "Now go in your brother's new home and convince him, Your Majesty." Ultima knocked on the stone, instantly alerting her lonely brother. Phoenix pushed aside the curtain blocking the entrance to be met with the golden eyes hidden under yellow and violet scars of his sister.

"I was not expecting you here," Phoenix said. "Welcome to our little home." Ultima headed inside to take a good look at the place, noticing it coarse and dirty. There was some water leaking out from a few buckets, and the young Queen of Arcus could even smell a dead rat.

"This isn't the best house my husband had built, but it'll have to do," Katzen told Ultima. Like her sister, Katzen was lying down on a special nest, warming a black egg spotted with amethyst diamonds.

"This child's name is Inkereign," Katzen addressed. "Hopefully our baby will see you as an aunt…"

"And cousin of Galeem's future kid," Ultima said. "Speaking of which, you wanna head outside? I have to talk to Phoenix about something…" The Queen of Arcus then headed outside to talk with her brother Phoenix while Katzen slipped on her own pouch to carry her egg. The two dragonesses then saw Sozo and Hakai standing inbetween Phoenix and Galeem, who still did not trust each other after what happened at the Solstice.

"Oh, it's you," Galeem spoke with a stern voice. "Finally decided to come crawling back me after hell broke loose in your little corner of the world?"

"Galeem, not now," Medley tried to reason with her husband as she got between the two brothers.

"I do not trust you after you took all the attention from me and turning me into a fraud," Phoenix answered. Ultima and Katzen with her egg ran outside in time for the Queen of Arcus' to calm her siblings down.

"Galeem! Phoenix!" Ultima ordered them. "I only chose Phoenix for this role because of the tradition of the Lord's of Balance passing their powers onto their best students. You two are the greatest in Sozo's and Hakai's eyes. Therefore, you have been chosen with the task of balancing both the darkness and light on each side. Things will go in disarray if one side takes over and destroys the other, and we don't want that, do we?"

"Just because you're the queen now doesn't mean we have no choice," Galeem objected. "You know how much of an embarrassment Phoenix was…"

"Well, if we can all work together, surely peace in Arcus will still thrive," Ultima responded. "Sozo and Hakai can't do this without you both living in harmony with one another. We're friends to the end, remember? Think about your future kids…" Phoenix and Galeem looked back at each other, thinking about what they both can accomplish together if they join her side as the new Lords of Balance. Once again, they forgave each other over what life goals they have.

"It's settled," Sozo told the dragons. "Tomorrow morning, Galeem will be crowned the Lord of Light, and Phoenix will rule as Lord of Darkness." Without another word, the two families started walking off with the sons of Ceresor to the Sky Temple. Ultima stayed around for a while and looked up at the waning crescent.

She remembered the warning the stranger of black mist told her. That he will be around tomorrow night when the moon is new. It was also at a lucky time too because this was the night when the Lord of Darkness inherited his powers. She was starting to feel a little guilty about herself convincing Phoenix join her this early. The worst thing could probably be that Phoenix might become jealous. It wouldn't go that far, would it. After all, what was a ghost like the black entity going to do to get to their minds? After the dragoness queen flew off, Kirby's Smash Ball flashed bright again, and he was instantly transported back to the world he was currently in.

* * *

The pink puffball opened his eyes without someone shaking him back into reality, proving that he was getting used to these kinds of visions. Regardless, the other fighters knew he was okay after so many times.

"Had a good rest?" Ireburn responded. "I hope you don't mind, but I think we rescued another friend of yours…" As Kirby turned around, he saw King Dedede himself, who was back to normal.

"Now that that's outta the way, how do we get off?" the Wii Fit Trainer asked. "We were kinda trapped here for a while, and the plan said something about an… orange pipe?" Luckily, King Dedede knew just where to advance to the next area. He ran off to the other side of the island, signaling his friends to follow him. Once the Smashers got near the end, they saw a giant pink cloud too far away for them to even jump off without falling to their death. On the fluffy surface was the orange pipe.

"This looks easy," the Pokémon Trainer said. He called out his Charizard and got on the Pokémon's back, flying to the cloud. Much to his surprise, Red noticed the pink cloud his was standing on was soft as well as solid.

"Any bright ideas, Dedede?" Sheik asked. Unfortunately, the King of Dreamland only knew there was a cloud next to the island. Even though he knew how to fly, it wasn't enough due to his heavy weight. Kirby then suddenly remembered a particular type of Spirit for this situation, when they were traveling and fighting many different types of Supporters. Tucked inside his own body was a Normal Legendary Ho-Oh Spirit that emerged from the pink demon.

The Ho-Oh Spirit soared high into the air before vanishing, spreading magical glitter with its wings. The glitter created a rainbow that bridged between the Gourmet Race island and the pink cloud. Kirby held his red copy's hand and slid down the rainbow, with the both of them followed by the Piranha Plant, Yoshi, Fox, and later on the rest of the team. Once they got onto the cloud, they focused on heading straight to the orange pipe.

"Is everyone here?" Eleven asked, seeing if all the teammates in their group was present. "Good. Now we can take the route to the island where that Rathalos is present." When the Hero took another step, he instantly heard two whacks from mallets that each occurred at the same time, sending two ice blocks his way. When they hit Ireburn, he noticed he flinched a bit from the attack. All the fighters saw where the ice blocks came from: from behind the orange pipe.

"Show yourself!" Samus exclaimed, pointing her arm cannon at the enemies behind the pipe. "The element of surprise doesn't work on us anymore!" Appearing from behind the pipe were Ice Climbers and Kirby Supporters, one for each fighter, and a Primary of Ness himself.

"Really? You have all these different options and you went with THAT!?" the Ness Primary scolded. The blue Ice Climbers Supporter didn't seem to react to the captured fighter snapping at them, and the other fighters seemed rather confused despite having been ambushed for possibly the fifteenth time in a row, if not greater.

The red Kirby Supporter noticed there was another one of its kind with the enemy team, and the pink demon itself noticed another puppet fighter of himself but white in color. For whatever reason, the red Kirby clone was sensing a connection with the white one.

"We're here to complete our mission," Link demanded. "Who are you to get in our way?"

"I am known as a Flying Man, with me and my other four brothers as defenders of Magicant," the Ness Primary answered.

"The symbol of the Spirit does prove it…" Bowser remarked, admiring the pixelated bipedal man-bird covered in yellow and magenta feathers that was present on the captured fighter's blue-and-yellow striped t-shirt.

"Silence, intruder!" the Ness Primary shouted. "Now you will taste the law that is the light! Lapras! Kirby Supporter! Get them! The Mii Swordfighter is mine…" The ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn rushed towards the PSI boy, unleashing a powerful tornado. The Ness Primary jumped and lingered in the air for a while, using PK Thunder.

"It's okay, guys," Fox told his friends as they surrounded the white Kirby and blue Ice Climbers. "It's us against them. We can take down these guys." Once the captured fighter's flying body coated in lightning zoomed straight towards Gilbert, the Mii Swordfighter quickly reacted by using his counter attack. As soon as the blade and the PK Thunder connected, both Gilbert and the Ness Primary were warped to a Final Destination version of the pink cloud they were all standing on, noticeably Magicant as described before.

The white Kirby Supporter saw its red brethren as a traitor, and it didn't take much for Galeem's clone to dash in flames at the red Supporter. However, the real Kirby came in to protect his peculiar companion by swinging his hammer. The white Kirby Supporter flew right into the blue Ice Climbers Supporter, who were whacking Villager with their mallets. Once the white Kirby Supporter slid on the ground, the blue Ice Climbers quickly got up and spread their icy powers at the approaching fighters. Fox started glowing blue and warped between the blue clone duo, hitting their heads by kicking them hard in the face.

It just seems no matter what the Supporters do, the reawakened fighters are stronger than they were before. The white Kirby Supporter collapsed onto the ground, clenching its bruised skin, and the blue puppet fighters of the Ice Climbers pointed their mallets at the Smashers. Igniting his sword on blue, cold flames, Ireburn walked up to the Ice Climbers and used his Kacrackle Blade spell, sparing the wounded Kirby puppet. With the temperature at a low level, the Ice Climbers Supporter both shattered into frozen shards, with a Normal Advanced Lapras Spirit floating out of the debris. The glowing-green Pokémon Spirit took off into the sky, heading straight down south.

Kirby and his red clone approached the white Supporter, trying to show the same sympathy that worked before. The pink alien knew that if this level of kindness worked before, then it could work again. The white Kirby Supporter pulled out his Cutter sword, trying to swipe at the two Kirbies despite not having the strength to get up. Not taking any chances, Kirby himself quickly hugged the white Kirby clone. The love and comfort was starting to change the Supporter, and the connection with its red counterpart grew on it.

Just in time, the Mii Swordfighter arrived from the Omega stage of Magicant with Ness' body in his arms. Gilbert set foot on the soft pink cloud his teammates were on, gently resting the PSI boy. The Flying Man Spirit and the white mist emerged from the vortex the ex-Ultimate Reborn and Ness emerged from, entering inside Kirby and causing his eyes to glow white.

* * *

Kirby started rubbing his cuddly face, tapping the Smash Ball on his forehead. He was standing on the inside of the Sky Temple, where Ultima rested on the throne Lord Ceresor once sat. The murmuring of all the other dragons in the world waiting outside echoed through the room. Galeem was standing in front of his sister, bowing down at her feet. Sozo approached his student with a necklace that appeared in his mouth. The jewel at the end of the necklace was symbolic of the yang icon. Sozo sat on his hind legs, taking the yang necklace out of his own mouth with his front paws. Galeem lifted his head a bit so that Sozo would slip the necklace on.

"This jewel will tell the people that you are the new Lord of Light," Sozo explained. "Once we go out, the yang necklace will reflect off the light of the sun at its highest peak, choosing one who wears it as the new Lord of Light." Galeem walked out with Sozo outside to the cheering crowd, and Ultima watched with Hakai and Phoenix from a distance as the sunlight flashed on the yang necklace. The jewel started glowing golden, with wind blowing in all directions. Galeem felt a new form of energy fill him as the wind stopped.

"You have your new Lord of Light!" Sozo called out to all the dragons of Arcus. Each species applauded, knowing they can be safe for years to come.

Kirby, aware of the time lapse, saw the sun disappearing into the horizon in just a few seconds, watching the world's dragons gather outside of the Sky Temple again, awaiting the new Lord of Darkness. Kirby noticed the night sky was really cloudy, blocking out any stars in the sky. The moon was also new, rendering it fully invisible.

Phoenix, knowing the hardships that come with being the Lord of Darkness, awaited in front of Ultima. Hakai came in with an artifact similar to the yang necklace, but the yin jewel was bound to it instead. Phoenix felt the necklace slip onto his neck, and Hakai walked with his student outside. Ultima got up from her throne. With her brother Galeem, she walked outside to see the blackened night of Phoenix's coronation. Little did she know the moment her black-armored brother set outside, the dragons of Arcus were already complaining about him due to his embarrassing day at the Dragosmo Solstice. The citizens didn't even bother staying as they departed from the Sky Temple while Phoenix's yin necklace started flashing purple, choosing him as the new Lord of Darkness. Phoenix, listening to the onlookers as they left, managed to pick up every word of what they just said.

"What a complete wimp of one that'll control from the shadows!" one dragon exclaimed.

"He was an insensitive asshole at the Solstice and we have to spend millennia with HIM as our new general?" another dragon asked.

"I really love Galeem a lot more than that weak, pathetic coward," one more dragon called out with all the voices of the crowd calling out in agreement as they flew off into the sky. Phoenix, unable to control his anger anymore, turned towards his own brother. Because of the neglect and rejection he went through, Phoenix knew Galeem was the one to blame for everything.

"You took my future away from me!" Phoenix snapped. "It is because of the mere mention of your name that people will be more likely to follow you than me!"

"What a sad, sad life you must live in," Galeem answered. "I guess some people are born riche than others. The same rule also applied to stains like you."

"Please stop this…" Ultima tried breaking the argument between Galeem and Phoenix. Sozo and Hakai also tried to keep the two brothers apart by standing between them.

"No!" Phoenix objected, his breath starting to heat up with purple lightning. "Galeem is nothing more than a selfish, power-hungry whore that will stop at nothing to get his way! If there is anyone to truly feel sorry for, it is none other than you! I even heard people wishing for me dead because you keep pushing your way through whenever I finally have my moment in the spotlight!" The clouds in the air rumbled with thunder due to the rage that was burning inside Phoenix.

"Then I suppose it's for the best, then," Galeem calmly answered. "Maybe the people are right. This world would be so much better if you didn't live in it." Enraged, Phoenix's mouth crackled with electricity, with both Sozo and Hakai holding him back by biting into his wings, but Ultima ran in front of her brother Galeem.

"Phoenix!" Ultima yelled, crouching into a battle position. "If you lay a claw on your brother, you'll have to go through me!" Phoenix started to calm down, his violet eyes beginning to swell up with tears. The rumbling in the clouds stopped, and the newly-crowned Lord of Darkness turned away from his own siblings.

"Maybe Galeem is right," Phoenix growled, beginning to cry. "The same rules apply to everyone, and I suppose this world would feel much better if he never lived in it…" Sobbing, Phoenix ran into the Sky Temple, vanishing into is room without a trace.

"Thanks for standing up to me, Ultima," Galeem congratulated. "I couldn't have done it without you…"

"Oh, as if you would care!" Ultima snarled, turning towards the Lord of Light. "The reason why I stopped our brother from ending your life was because I don't want anything catastrophic to break out between you two! I'm on my own side of the situation because maybe Phoenix is right. Maybe you're becoming corrupt by keeping the world to yourself, and our brother is becoming selfish because of it. Over a decade, and you haven't even changed! I am the Queen of Arcus, goddammit! I took the throne out of courage, and I thought making you the new Lords of Balance was not because of tradition but because I wanted to end your quarrel. Turns out it only became worse because of each of your side on the same coin. All of the weaknesses, none of the strengths. I wanted you to change, in the name of the Almighty Father!"

"Then I suppose it's done," Galeem growled calmly. "I warned you not to call me an attention-seeker again. We're through…" Galeem walked back into the Sky Temple, not saying another word.

"Oh yeah!?" Ultima called out. "Well good riddance to you too!" Ultima looked back on Sozo and Hakai, shaking her head.

"What are we going to do?" Ultima whispered.

"We don't know," Sozo answered. "All we can hope is for the better, and it doesn't seem like your brothers will make up anytime soon…" Ultima went into the Sky Temple with the generals, and Kirby became more curious as to where it will unfold. The pink puffball looked back to see the mysterious shadowy figure standing in front of where the five dragons walked into, his green sclera and red slit eyes glowing. The thunder flashed to reveal the Misty body of the strange, with the pink slime in his crystalline hands.

"You can bet things will turn out for the better, but you cannot escape fate.." the stranger spoke, with the pink slime jumping out. Strange, fleshy noises started coming out from the slime, and the thunder flashed one more time to reveal a silhouette of an unspeakable horror. It was hard to make out what exactly the creature was, but it was some sort of monster so terrifying that it was to just express in words. Whatever the slime had become, Kirby would have to wait and find out as the vision's environment glowed white, and he was transported back to the real world.

* * *

The red Kirby Supporter tapped the pink puffball's face again. Kirby woke up to the soft feeling of his clone companion's stubby hand and the soft pink cloud he and his friends were standing on. Even the wounded white puppet Kirby slowly approached the pink demon.

"Sure was a rough battle," the Mii Swordfighter told the group. "All Ness did was spam PK Fire and trap me in columns of death. No offense…"

"It's alright," Ness answered. "Aren't we supposed to take the pipe I was protecting you guys from?"

"Of course," Captain Falcon responded. "We're almost there, guys. Let's finish this…" The supersonic bounty hunter jumped straight into the orange pipe, with Samus and her Zero Suit counterpart jumping in after her. King Dedede, Ness, Inkling, Mii Swordfighter, Eleven the Luminary, and all the other fighters on the team except for Sheik and Kirby with his two clones.

The peculiar warriors looked to their right to see the Northern Barrier in all its glory. It was over a hundred times larger than them, and it was so close it seemed like you could almost touch its rapidly blinking, red UV spherical surface. Beyond that barrier is the Galeem Void, the gateway to the Seraph of Order's hiding place.

"We're coming for you, Galeem," Sheik said. After a brief second of standing, the Sheikah and the three Kirbies jumped into the pipe after their friends.


	58. Pt 58: The Event That Began All

Emerging from the orange pipe, the Smashers and their new companions saw they were at a beach, with the seaside town they had visited to their left. The setting sun revealed an ocean that gleamed a deep blue against the dimming sky, with the sands glistening with a pure white. Near the splashing waves was a large raft that looked like it would fit all the Smashers on board, which was supported by more logs and there was a wrapped sailcloth attached to the central pole.

"So this is what we'll be taking to the island of the Rathalos?" Fox asked.

"Sure seems like it," the Hero answered, walking towards the raft and piling the group's supplies on it. He tried pushing the wooden boat into the water, but it was just too heavy.

"You're not trying hard enough," Bowser growled, pressing his hands onto the side of the raft. Even the Koopa King was not strong enough to get the raft into the sea with his brute force. However, he kept his eyes shut, so he had no idea that the Lapras Spirit from before sailed the skies down to the shore. The fighters watched as the Spirit simply got in front of the raft, with rope mysteriously spawning in place that bound the Lapras to the raft. With enough strength, the Pokémon pulled the raft into the water with Bowser letting go of the transportation and falling flat on his face.

"What did I tell you?" Bowser boastfully sounded out, wiping his hands and acting all chill until he saw that the Lapras did all the work. Kirby and his two Supporters jumped onto the raft. Piranha Plant and Ireburn hopped on shortly after, with Clementine, Red, and Gilbert getting on with Link, Samus, Yoshi, Fox, Pikachu, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Bowser, Sheik, Dr. Mario, Mr. Game & Watch, Zero Suit Samus, Diddy Kong, King Dedede, Lucario, Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, and Shulk. Once the whole crew was on the raft, the Lapras Spirit sailed south across the ocean, tugging on the raft.

* * *

As night fell, most of the fighters were already fast asleep. The only Smashers that were still awake were Ireburn, Fox, Kirby, and Piranha Plant. The pink puffball rested his red feet against the side of the raft, and Ireburn walked up towards him to sit down.

"I can tell you have a lot on your mind," the Hero said. "Is it about your homeworld?" Kirby looked at the Luminary and nodded.

"I really wanna go back to mine," Eleven continued, with the Piranha Plant waddling next to him with his flower pot. "After waking up in this place, I had to survive. With a group of complete strangers that met the same rate I did with the exception of the plant. For five years. Until Galeem found us and you came along."

"Don't be too hard on the poor guy," Fox called out. "He traveled to the future to stop the Lord of Light's reign. Hopefully he has the brains and the advantage to stop this guy like all the other godlike deities before him…"

"Godlike deities?" Ireburn asked.

"For Kirby, fighting a being with unlimited power is like every other unusual Tuesday," Fox jokingly clarified. "Let's just hope this time is no different…"

"I only fought one powerful being on my home planet," the Hero said. "That's pretty amazing. How do you know this?"

"I didn't… until Sonic came and helped clear our memories," Fox answered, resting his back on the supplies.

"Who's this… Sonic person you talk about?" the Luminary asked, becoming curious.

"Where to begin…?" The Star Fox mercenary looked up into the stars, gazing out into the empty sea. "This kid had the knowledge of a Master Hand. He would go on and on about the adventures we went through mainly because he escaped a certain fate when we didn't. He was good friends with Mario, but I'm guessing it was because of the peace that lasted between their ancient rivalry. I just hope we rescue Sonic and the rest of our friends in time…"

"Why?" Eleven asked. "Do you have something special with this… child?" Fox chuckled in response, ready to doze off.

"That blue hedgehog may have been dependent on Mario, but I am more worthy of being his companion," Fox answered. "After all, I'm stronger and more faithful. Really wish I had more time to spend it with Sonic, y'know? Get to know that kid better. He had a lot more tales to tell us, and we, mainly I, would have liked to know more about him until his memory was supposedly gone… Really wish he's okay." The Star Fox mercenary then curled up into himself, dozing off.

"Suppose we better hit the hay," Ireburn told Kirby, lying on his back as he fell asleep. The carnivorous flower, even though plants like him don't require sleep, slipped inside his flower pots and napped off. It didn't take long for Kirby to become hypnotized by the gentle rocking of the waves as he too fell into rest for the night.

* * *

Kirby's heart started pounding as he saw himself in a new world. This was not a world of either good or evil. This was a world where even nightmares die. The sky was dyed with the redness of blood, its bleak color blocking out the sky. Cobblestone streets were laid into desolate and ruin, with signs bent and crushed. Mighty buildings were toppled over, their shattered glass scattering out onto the ground. An unbearable stench poisoned whatever breathable air remained. The upturned ground itself felt unnatural and completely void of life. Bloated, squirming webs of flesh clogged the massive holes torn into the world. The pink puffball trembled at the hellish landscape set before him.

Just from a single look at this depiction of Tartarus itself can even the toughest and bravest break a sweat. Kirby, being the innocent alien boy he is, was easily frightened by this. Just then, he saw a warrior standing in the center of the grotesque area. This stranger had the body structure similar to Captain Falcon, but he had armor carved out of the scales of a defeated dragon in the past. The armor plating was darkened and spiked, making a warlike suit out of the covering. It covered his entire body, and even his face was masked. The mask had three perpetual horns sticking out, and it matched the grimdark tone of his blackened armor. Two katana blades were latched onto his back, rubbing and sharpening against the dragon spine-like structure that ran down his spine. When the stranger spoke, he had the voice of a calm, patient psychopath.

"You replaced me…" the stranger told Kirby, not even bother turning around to face the pink puffball. Kirby became rather confused by this line of dialogue, unaware of what he was talking about. The stranger then turned around, looking down on the pink demon.

"You are too young to understand, aren't you?" the stranger continued. "My creators called me the Dragon King. I was supposed to be the true protector of the multiverse. But when they had different ideas, I was replaced. I became nothing more than that toy nobody wanted to play with at the bottom of the chest. I was abandoned here… the Land Unspoken." As the arid wind blew across the destroyed world, the Dragon King merely laughed.

"But I suppose you wouldn't care… just like my creators," the Dragon King continued. "Now I spend the rest of my days in this world, filled with anger and hatred. You took everything from me… The Mother will change all for the better." Kirby still had no idea what was going on, not having the advantage to treat all this like common knowledge.

"I guess you can see me in this landscape, can't you?" the Dragon King asked. He pulled out the katana blades from his back, and six more figures hidden in the bloodstained mist appeared behind him in silhouette form. The pink puffball quickly turned around to the loud noise of the buildings still standing upright falling apart. Kirby's face filled with horror as he saw the silhouette of a colossal, gelatinous blob destroying what remained of those powerful skyscrapers. The fumes this monstrosity unleashed were of the lavender color of the soldiers the woman from Ultima's dream sent out, mixing with the reddened clouds. The roaring itself was enough to drive one mad.

"Some people believe dreams and nightmares are the gateways to other dimensions," the Dragon King finished. "Looks like you found one of them…" The enigmatic masked warrior then raised his blades against Kirby. With a single strike, this terrifying image was enough to scare Kirby awake.

* * *

The pink puffball had sweat dripping down his soft, round body, his heart beating rapidly from what seemed like an acid trip. He noticed it was still the middle of the night, with the Lapras Spirit pulling the raft they were on showing no signs of wanting to rest. Kirby then started hugging himself, emotionally scarred for the rest of his life. With the light of the first quarter moon, the alien boy saw a smaller island right in front of the raft.

The glowing-green Lapras Spirit slid on the sand before falling asleep shortly after. Because the other Smashers, including Kirby's clones, were still asleep, the pink puffball himself had to take a look around the island they washed up on. The moonlight cast shadows on the smaller palm trees, and Kirby and no idea what was on the island. Were there more fighters under Galeem's control? Was it the Rathalos on his side? Are there more Supporters, Light Puppets, corrupted Mii Fighters? It could probably be all of them at this point. The Seraph of Order has been tracking them ever since Kirby arrived here. He might be more clever than any of his friends had thought.

As Kirby sat on the sand and waited for his companions to wake up, already having plenty of rest, he suddenly heard the rustling of the bushes coming from deeper in the island. From the thickened leaves, Kirby noticed the red eyes and white aura of the person watching already giving away his or her hiding spot.

Not wasting any time to wait for this Primary to approach him, Kirby ran towards the captured fighter's hiding spot and transformed into his Stone form. His rocky appearance slid through the bushes, knocking the Primary backwards. When Kirby reverted back to his normal stature, he saw the Mii Gunner Primary, who was aiming for his head with her arm cannon.

"Don't think you're going to be let off the hook that easily!" the Mii Gunner Primary spoke out. "This is especially when you had made the mistake of facing against the General of Flames: Flamberge!" The image of the Master Legendary Spirit shined on her bosom, revealing a Mage Sister similar to Francisca from before but with wild, red hair like fire and angry eyes just as interesting to match. The two fighters were standing in a clearing on the island, with grass and wildflowers surrounded by trees.

"Bring it on!" the Mii Gunner Primary shouted, her main weapon shifting into the flaming cannon that she used before. Kirby watched as the captured fighter blasted out a huge flame pillar, trying to burn the pink demon. Kirby ran as fast as he could around the Mii Gunner Primary, watching as she scorched all the plants in the current area. The alien puffball then quickly used his Stone ability again, becoming temporary invincible. Kirby then noticed one of the higher trees that have cupped leaves were stationary holders for puddles of water. He noticed one of the cupped leaves was full simply from the water dripping onto the captured fighter's shoulder. Smoke fizzled out from the Mii Gunner Primary, and she quickly smacked it off her before she aimed her weapon again. This gave Kirby an idea.

Trying to avoid the burning grass, Kirby stood right in front of the tree packed with water to distract the captured fighter. The Mii Gunner Primary aimed her flaming cannon again and fired. Kirby instantly jumped out of the way as Flamberge's weapon burned right through the tree. The charcoal that formed from the tree's base was weak enough for Kirby to kick it down with his red foot. As the tree topper down, the water splashed from the leaves and drenched the Mii Gunner Primary.

The glowing-red eyes searched for the put-out bushes despite having been drenched from her fire. When Kirby stepped out, the captured fighter attempted firing her flame pillar cannon again. However, since the fuse was already put out, it started expanding in front of her when she least expected it. The aftermath explosion from the destroyed arm cannon immediately killed the Mii Gunner Primary. The pink puffball turned into his Stone form once more to avoid the blast.

Once the explosion had calmed down, Kirby reverted back to his original appearance and looked around. The trees had their branches blown out, and some were even rooted out of the ground. The pink puffball noticed the Mii Gunner's body lying unconscious in the sooty bushes with the shattered Galeem Lock mist and the Flamberge Spirit hovering over her. The Master Legendary Mage Sister surrounded herself with the mist as she flew with it into Kirby's body. The blue, star-filled eyes flashed white once again, and Kirby's mind saw through another vision once more.

* * *

The pink demon woke to the weeping of a dragon, mainly Phoenix. The now-crowned Lord of Darkness lay sobbing on his black velvet bed, with the light of a dark crystal chandler accompanying him. His weeping echoed throughout the room, filled with neglect and isolation.

"Galeem does not understand," Phoenix cried, his head lifting up for air to avoid sinking into the pillow. "None of them do… Why does this only happens to me!? I wish I was as powerful as Galeem just to show him who the true ruler around here should be!" The dragon then continued weeping into the silky mattress, avoiding to stop his heartfelt agony anytime soon.

"Why… I think that can be arranged," an enigmatic voice answered. Phoenix stopped his weeping to listen to who said that. His violet eyes peered around the darkness, searching for the one who said those words. For Kirby, he knew exactly whose voice it was.

Phoenix then looked up at the ceiling to see a life-sized mass of pulsing, nauseating flesh. Enlarged holes were clustered together, forming webs of skin-like material on this grotesque creature. Packs of boils were bursting with sticky white pus, and there were tens of eyeballs trapped in the gelatin's skin that gazed in every direction of the room. Slimy tentacles the exact same color of the pink slime from before slithered out, their voracious appetites clearly showing by the way they moved around. The only entrance it opened on its vomit-inducing body revealed rows upon rows of teeth, each one sharper than the rest. The bloated atrocity let some sort of lure dangled out from its throat, the stench of gastric juices tainting that body part… or if that was even was a fraction of its digestive system or another limb. Either way, the lure was bloated from the inside, but there was a good reason why. It was carrying something… far more sinister.

The bulge in that lure descended towards the stone-cold floor. Once those crystalline feet peeked out from the bottom, the stranger of black mist emerged from his companion, looking as mysterious and dangerous as ever. The obscenity then dropped itself onto the ground behind its master. Phoenix has become rather terrified by this encounter, his eyes having seen things never before witnessed by any species of dragonkin, whether eastern or western. The young Lord of Darkness backed away from the stranger and his monstrosity pet, almost falling off his back on the bed. The horrific creature was so frightening that Phoenix found it impossible to use his powers against them. Even Kirby had a hard time thinking that this carbuncle was once a harmless, pink slime.

"Don't be afraid," the stranger told Phoenix. "Despite appearances, we are not looking for any harm… at the moment…" The eyesore lifted its black-mist master with its lavender tendrils, carrying him on its weight.

"Wha- What do you want?" Phoenix asked.

"I see you're rather lonely," the stranger responded. The Lord of Darkness had been getting a lot of that lately. From just his looks alone, Phoenix was often ignored before he could even talk to anyone suitable for his kind. He may be an expecting father, but he still feels isolated from those that are looking for someone to talk to, no matter how sociable.

"You don't have to hide anything from me," the stranger continued. "I can read your thoughts and know how you feel… You don't have to do anything. Just listen to what I have to say."

"I do not care what you think," Phoenix objected, his mouth fizzling with lightning. "Tell me who you are and who are you working for!"

"I work for no one but myself," the stranger answered. "If you must know who I am, just call me… a friend. Now then… do you want to know why you have been pushed away from the world so many times? Do you want to know why the only people who truly care for you are your family? I can simply answer that for you. You see… I was the one who set your whole life up. The reason why these dragons abandoned you was because I told them so, hidden from their sights and making them treat you like a demon." When Phoenix had heard the truth, his violet eyes filled with rage. He boosted in the air towards the stranger and his slimy let, but the grotesque figure jumped back with incredible power, dragging its black-mist master with its sticky tentacles.

"You are the one who took everything from me!" Phoenix snarled, his roaring deafening the room. However, despite being threatened, the stranger simply remained calm. His green eyes and red sclera glowed with a puzzling wit, clearly showing that the stranger was beyond intelligent. He merely laughed quietly at the Lord of Darkness trying to scare him out.

"If you would please calm down, listen to what I have to say. The truth is not all that far-fetched. The reason why I did all this is because I wanted to reawaken you. To rise you to your truest potential."

"What are you talking about?" The figure lowered himself down, levitating a few inches off the floor without the assistance of his pet.

"What I'm trying to say is… from the day you were born, I saw great potential within your feekle mind. I understand how powerful you are among all the lower lifeforms, including dragonkin. I pushed everyone away from you so that I can awaken you. I had even convinced your brother to steal all the individuals in your life." The next part was completely made up by the stranger, which was completely produced as though he was telling the truth.

"But Galeem is growing smarter," the stranger continued. "He knows about my whereabouts and threatens to purge many universes of imperfection, including you. You don't have to play dumb anymore. Galeem will purge you when you least expect it…" Phoenix looked down in shame, believing the brother who took all his friends was going to kill him.

"…What do I have to do?" Phoenix asked.

"It's simple." The figure then floated up to the dark crystal chandler with his terrifying entity companion rapidly crawling up the wall and ceiling with long, cracking legs reminiscent of spiders that it had just now generated.

"Snuff… out… every… last… light," the stranger answered, leaving pauses in-between words as he used his crystalline fingers to douse the flickering candles in the chandler. Now the only light in the blackened room was from the red sclera and green eyes of the mysterious figure.

"There is still time," the stranger went on. "Galeem wants order and perfection in his reign. You can put an end to this. Not only can you give yourself the joy of freedom, but you can also bestow it upon others as well. Give them the choice to destroy a 'perfect society'. Have them make their own decisions. If they refuse and spend the rest of their lives within the light, put them out of their misery which burns like the candles of their souls. The only way I can raise you to my level is with your bargain to the Mother…"

"The Mother?" Phoenix asked. The stranger flicked his hand, transforming the eldritch gelatin back into its usual pink slime form with the singular slit eye.

"The Mother is a being greater than you can imagine," the stranger answered, his slime wrapping around his crystalline arm. "She will grant the wishes of those who deserve more than what they're given. With a single deal, she can change them into gods. She can enhance the abilities you have so far and make you unstoppable. Your brother Galeem will do everything he can to stop you for his own selfish rules. If you kill him and give him what he and his followers deserve, there will be nothing and no one to stand in your way! All you must do… is take my hand…" The stranger lifted his right arm up, and the pink slime slipped through his fingertips. Phoenix was starting to become tempted by this offer. All he wanted was to love and be loved in return. But what good did he really do? Was his main goal just to make friends and socialize? The purpose of his existence will be revealed once he accepts the stranger's offer.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Phoenix felt his extended right paw being grabbed by the figure's crystalline hand and pink slime, a new wave of energy pulsing in the young Lord of Darkness. Without a warning, the stranger swiped downward with his left hand, creating a nasty flesh wound on the right side of Phoenix's face. The black dragon screamed in agony as he clutched onto his wound, his flaming-violet wings burning with guilt. For whatever reason, there was no bleeding and all that remains on his right eye was a glowing-violet scar extended vertically. A pulse of power coarser through the flesh wound, making Phoenix feel weird.

"…What… did you do to me…?" Phoenix asked, watching the stranger command his slime to transform into its body horror version with only hand gestures.

"I made you reborn," the stranger finished, allowing himself to get swallowed by the lure his own monstrosity sent out. "You must now give yourself a new name, for your identity as a slave bound to this planet was Phoenix. Now that name is no more. Think about how you want to end this conflict between the light and darkness, order and chaos…" The grotesque monster had completely engulfed the black-mist stranger. Once the lights in the chandler flickered back on through magic, both the figure and his pet were nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the young Lord of Darkness, lying on the floor and thinking what he had done as he rubbed his scar. His mind had now been fabricated by that encounter, and even stained. As Kirby continued watching, the vision's world grew bright once more, and his young, fragile mind was transported back to his previous location.

* * *

The Mii Gunner began rubbing her head, unaware of what happened. Her face lit up with shock as she saw the scorched grass and trees that had already dried up into ashes. She then saw the pink puffball who saved her slowly starting to wake up. Kirby opened his eyes to see the ex-Gunner Ultimate Reborn hitting over his face, relieved that both he and she were fine.

"Where did you come from?" the Mii Gunner asked. "I thought I would never get off the island…" Kirby then remembered the raft he and his friends came in. He grabbed ahold of the Mii Gunner's left hand and took her with him to the other Smashers.

As the sun arose in the sky, looking as fiery as before, Fox McCloud started smelling the aftermath smoke meters away. Because of his heightened animal senses, he could pink up the intoxicating scent much easier. When the Star Fox mercenary woke up, he started shaking Ireburn's shoulder.

"Do you smell something?" Fox whispered so as not to wake up the rest of their friends yet, his black nose twitching as he continued picking up the odor. "I thought I got a whiff of a… forest fire…"

"I don't smell anything," the Hero answered, shielding his eyes from the morning sun.

"I'm a fox," Fox answered. "Even if I'm an anthropomorphic bipedal, I still retain the senses of animals on your planets. I know smoke when I smell it."

"Where's Kirby?" Gilbert asked. The Mii Swordfighter had just woken up from the commotion and noticed the pink puffball was not sleeping with his two clones. The ex-Ultimate Reborn then saw Kirby walking on the shore, taking the reawakened Mii Gunner with him. Once Peach also got her beauty rest, she noticed the pink puffball was covered in spot from the attack only he had encountered. The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom got off the raft and hugged Kirby in safety.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Peach cheered, wiping the ashes off Kirby's face. As the sun was rising, the rest of the fighters, including the two Kirby clones, were already up. The Mii Swordfighter hugged the Mii Gunner tightly, glad that one of his best friends of the same species was okay.

"So glad you're fine," Gilbert said to the Mii Gunner. She pulled back from the hug, looking back on her friends.

"…I can tell you're here for the Rathalos that is working for Galeem," the Mii Gunner said. "I know that monster's hiding place near where Kirby rescued me."

"Let's go then," Lucario told everyone. The Mii Gunner took off deep into the island past the overturned bushes, their leaves crumbling into ashes. The rest of the Smashers followed after her, and the raft and Lapras Spirit stayed behind in case.

"When Kirby rescued me, he was not too far off from your destination," the Mii Gunner explained, climbing across the scorched tree trunks. Each one of the fighters looked around the burned area, surprised that Kirby even managed to survive. The Mii Gunner then pushed aside a curtain of bushes and vines, confident this was the way. What the fighters saw was a wooden bridge connected to a larger island surrounded by small hills dotted with trees. The Mii Gunner traversed across the stable bridge, holding her arm cannon by her side. Once the fighters crossed to the other side, the Mii Gunner stopped in front of a stone gate. The markings were carved with tales of different monsters from another world not of theirs, though the Rathalos is in fact one of them.

"All we have to do is push it open and you're on your way," the Mii Gunner said, trying to push open the stone doors. However, the gate was locked shut and it simply wouldn't budge open. Even Bowser, who was the strongest of the bunch, couldn't even break it open.

"It looks like this gate is protected by some sort of magic," Eleven said to everyone, both he and Lucario using their powers within to sense the barricading spell. "But by what…?"

"We can obviously tell what." Fox pointed right at the wooden bridge they crossed. Approaching from the other side was another team of Light Puppets, Kirby Supporters, and possessed Mii Fighters all led by who appeared to be the Toon Link Primary.

"You have got to be kidding me," Link sighed, already having enough of these fights. "Can we just go one day without having to deal with the likes of you? We're already tired from the battles you throw at us…"

"That's precisely why Galeem sent us," the Toon Link Primary spoke with an eerie, raspy voice. "He's sending out his troops to keep on attacking until you can't take it anymore, and you will now suffer from the wrath of me: Vaati." The Spirit that had appeared on Toon Link's chest was reminiscent of a cartoony Minish sorcerer similar to the Hero of the Winds, but he had a pale face with markings, red eyes, a purple robe, and violet hair with a bang covering one side of his face.

"If you wish to go beyond those gates, you will have to go through me… and the army the Seraph of Order assigned me," the Toon Link Primary finished, drawing out his simplistic version of the Master Sword. The Light Puppets and Kirby Supporters ran across the bridge with the Mii Fighters, ready to attack Kirby and his team of fighters.

"I just wanna collapse right after we defeat these guys and that Rathalos," Peach groaned, rubbing her aching feet. "I think I'm getting blisters in my slippers..."

"Us too, princess," Zero Suit Samus answered, tapping the hazardous end of her Plasma Whip against the high heel portions of her Jet Boots. As the Lord of Light's forces drew in closer towards the fighters, the Smashers drew their weapons and got ready. Due to the sheer amount of Light Puppets and Kirby Supporters that were with the Toon Link Primary, it seemed as though our brave warriors were outnumbered. Regardless, they should give it their all.

Peach climbed onto Bowser's back, tugging on his wild, red mane and forcing him to breathe a large stream of fire at the first few puppets. However, there were many light enough to hop over the fire and try landing on top of Bowser. Luckily, Peach pulled out a Toad she had at the last second from her dress. The connected attack from one of the Light Puppets sent a trigger reaction through the Toad, forcing him to speak damaging spores at the small team of enemies. As they were sent far, the Hero and Piranha Plant dashed forward to the other puppets, spamming poison, spikeballs, lightning bolts, and whatever they got up their sleeves. The Piranha Plant lingered in the air for a while to attack the incoming Kirby Supporters while Ireburn dashed towards the Toon Link Primary. Both fighters froze in place for a split second as their individual swords clashes against each other, their vibrating rings echoing throughout the blades.

Chaos started crying out on the shores of the larger island as the puppets pushed forward even with members of their kind getting killed off. The Pokémon Trainer started throwing out all three of his Pokémon and commanded them to use Triple Finish, a move that combined Squirtle's Hydro Pump, Ivysaur's Solar Beam, and Charizard's Fire Blast. Kirby and his two clone companions combined their Inhale abilities to create a massive vortex, sucking up all the troops working for Galeem that charged after them.

Despite being more powerful than the Toon Link Primary and his assigned forces, the Smashers were easily overwhelmed by the crazy numbers. The Mii Gunner ran up to the Luminary when she saw him struggling against the captured fighter, and she started throwing bombs and missiles at the approaching enemies. The other fighters backed up close to the gate as they saw their two friends surrounded.

"I have no choice…" Ireburn groaned, the mark on his left hand glowing red with fire. "Get as far away from me as possible…" The Hero's body then started glowing with rays of light as more of the puppets and possessed Mii Fighters attacked him. Distracted by the glowing Luminary, the Kirby Supporters and other Light Puppets ran towards the light. Little did they know as they were attacking Eleven was that he was about to use the spell Kamikaze, and it would very much kill him with them if he wasn't careful.

The female ex-Ultimate Reborn saw that the Hero was going to die from his own powers, but he was going to kill off all of Galeem's sent troops, including the Toon Link Primary. She didn't want to let this stranger die, even though she had never met him before and she just woke up in the middle of a battle. Suddenly, a glowing rainbow aura appeared around her body, and her irises were replaced with gold. She quickly jumped up into the air as Ireburn was about to self-destruct. As the puppets turned around, the Mii Gunner instantly used Full Blast, her Final Smash. The Smash Ball awakened within her, and she managed to use this powerful attack to her advantage.

All the puppets were trapped in the spinning beams, with the Toon Link Primary included. The laser blasted through the enemy lines, sending them all catapulting near the sands. Due to the attackers no longer damaging Ireburn's body, the Luminary held onto his spell so he could look around and see if he was safe and there was no need to end his life by destroying others. He saw the Mii Gunner's energy-drained body float slowly to the ground, and he managed to catch her in time. The Smashers on the team ran up to their two friends.

As the Mii Gunner weakly looked at her companions with a smile, the Vaati Spirit with the white mist floated out of Toon Link's body and entered inside Kirby. This was pretty much going to be the last vision for now.

* * *

The pink puffball found himself in another part of the Sky Temple, with an area where candles dimly lit the hallways. Ultima gently knocked on a random door out of apology.

"Galeem?" Ultima told the Lord of Light, who was in the room Ultima was knocking on the door too. "I'm sorry about all the terrible things I said about you. You're a great brother and everything. It's just that… you could give our brother a chance. After all, he is part of the family. If I can become royalty, then he can become royalty as well. All he needs are more people in his life. If you could try to reason with him and even be generous, maybe we wouldn't be so angry. I'm hoping you would understand…" The Queen of Arcus gently nudged the door open, and she saw Galeem's room was empty. The crystal-white room laden with silky vines was filled with the soft wind coming from the open porch window. When Ultima stepped into the room, she saw her brother Galeem near the porch from the inside, his radiant wings of flames radiating the dark night.

"Not even a star in the sky," Galeem said. "Who knew a ritual to make our brother the next Lord of Darkness should involve this?" Ultima walked up to the right side of her brother, looking out onto the brightened utopia of dragons down before from the floating island. The lights in their hovels graced the landscape like a blanket of the cosmos. As Ultima had noticed, few of the lights at a time were being put out as a reminder that the dragons in those homes were talking asleep.

"What I find it funny is that if intelligent creatures like ourselves fear of monsters lurking in the dark, why do they forget all that in the blink of an eye as though there were no such thing and simply turn off the lights?" Galeem asked.

"Maybe eye restraints, insomnia, or…" Ultima was about to answer before she was interrupted by her brother.

"That's not what I meant at all. We live through the day and sleep at night. There are those that thrive in the dark and hide from the light. We see light as hope and peace but darkness as despair and chaos."

"Maybe sometimes we overlook the light and underestimate its power. Sometimes it can just be… too hard to control. We often get lost from the path and stray too far into or from our goals, meaning our mistakes from the past will eventually catch up. The need to bring positivity would get lost in the need to make yourself feel more important. The same also applied to the negativity. That's what I'm trying to tell you, Galeem. We use the negativity as a conflict of sorts, and we use the positivity to work it around and outside the best we can. It's different for everyone, and there's no true balance between right and wrong. Too much of one thing can change you if you're not careful. Positivity only would make you sickly annoying with only a boring, happy personality, and negativity alone can turn you into…"

"…A cold-hearted monster," Galeem answered. The Lord of Light turned to his sister as well as focusing his gaze upon Civiltatula. "I understand what you're saying, Ultima. You're right. The light represents order and peace. I should've listened to you before. Now I feel like an idiot. Wish I could have another chance…"

"You already have one," Ultima responded with a light smile on her face. "Our daddy always said we must accept reality for the better. Maybe we can also use that reality to our advantage. It doesn't have to be just us being happy. If we do things better for the people, maybe we can feel the same." After looking out into the dragon town for a minute or two, Galeem and Ultima were unexpectedly started by Sozo breaking down the door. The golden-eyed general was panting in fear, the rim of his mouth dripping with blood.

"Sozo! What happened?" Ultima asked, she and Galeem helping the ex-Lord of Light up.

"It's your brother Phoenix!" Sozo answered in wincing. "He's gone mad! He's fighting with my brother Hakai and most of the guards in the Sky Temple are already murdered!" Ultima's face showed signs of worry as she instantly dashed out of Galeem's room.

"Ultima! Wait!" Galeem called for her as he followed his sister. Sozo tagged along behind them, dashing as fast as he could.

Hakai was slammed against the wall through brutal strength, the lungs in his chest punctured. He weakly got up with all the power he had, orbs of light flashing from his head and all of his legs.

"Don't make me do this, Phoenix!" Hakai exclaimed, dashing after his student. Who the previous Lord of Darkness was fighting was Phoenix, though he looked rather different. For one, he had an unnatural violet glow all around his body, and his eyes were blue with yellow irises from his usual purple color. His reddened wings grew brighter in flames as he bit deep into Hakai's neck, cutting off the general's air supply. Hakai now only had a few minutes left to live as he backed away in pain. Sozo, Galeem, and Ultima arrived in time to see their brother going on a killing spree.

"You took everything from me, Galeem!" Phoenix snarled, his voice echoing with a distorted tone. "For your selfishness and betrayal of the light, you will pay with the consequences!"

"Listen, Phoenix!" Galeem objected. "Give me another chance!" However, Phoenix would not listen as a black storm cloud exhaled through his breath. The cloud surrounded the dying Hakai, lifting him up into the air and twisting his draconic body. The bones cracked and inner flesh teared as the scar on Hakai's left wing ripped itself from his body, moving in disarray. Hakai's old, lifeless body then dropped to the floor, disintegrating into the blackest ashes before they even touched the ground. All that remained was who appeared to be the very first Crazy Hand, identified with the violet aura, and the cry of anguish from Sozo.

"Phoenix, you cold-hearted bastard!" Galeem roared, golden flames lighting up in his throat.

"Phoenix, stop this right now!" Ultima snarled, her spectrum wings flashing with the rainbow they always had. Just then, Phoenix raised his flaming wings, and all the lights in the Sky Temple went out, including his own pinions. The only thing that the two siblings could heard was the movement of Phoenix's flesh moving in gross, disgusting ways and a deep booming noise in the aftermath. The violet aura flashed bright again to reveal Phoenix's true form, and his blue and golden orbs reflected the reaction of terror from his brother and sister.

What once were the majestic pennons of the Lord of Darkness now remained three pairs of wings with each of their bases fused to his back by the violet aura. They were formed out of tentacles as black as his corrupted heart, with a few parts revealing a deep indigo. The thorny tips of the wings were exposed however, showing off the color of magenta. The six wings themselves were so huge they wrapped around Phoenix as he levitated in midair, not even moving as he was flying.

"My name is no longer Phoenix," the corrupted dragon growled, the scar on the right side of his face from before flashing violet. "My name is Dharkon, Lord of Darkness and Seraph of Chaos!" Ultima stepped back in horror and guilt, guilt that she had underestimated the ghost and his pet slime. He was the cause of all this. There was no other explanation.

"Get off the island. Now!" Ultima ordered Sozo and Galeem as she retreated to the main hall. Phoenix, now named Dharkon, telepathically commanded Hakai, now a Crazy Hand, to go after the remaining guards. Without question, the Crazy Hand did it willingly and floated through the Sky Temple.

Galeem kicked down the door to the room that Medley was sleeping in, and she immediately woke up to the sound.

"…Morning already?" Medley groaned. Galeem quickly placed his front claws on her shoulders.

"We need to leave. Now," Galeem answered. "My brother went crazy and is destroying everything in sight. He wants me dead and won't stop at anything to finish his duty! Grab Glimmeress and follow me!" Obeying, Medley quickly slipped on the pouch she carries Glimmeress in, and she nudged the egg into the front pocket. The two dragons then met up with Ultima and Sozo at the front door, when the Queen of Arcus barged it wide open.

"But my sister! And her baby!" Medley objected.

"On it," Ultima replied, soaring off deep into the temple. She made her wings generate light in the darkness, and she soared through the halls. She saw the surviving guards transformed into Crazy Hands by the same storm that changed Hakai, but they all lacked the violet aura. As Ultima flew deeper into the Sky Temple, she heard the screams of bloody murder.

Instantly recognizing the cries of pain to be female, Ultima quickly teleported herself to where the screams were nearest. She then saw Katzen's room door shattered into splinters all over the carpet, and a puddle of blood was spilling out. There, she saw her own brother looking behind himself at her, his fangs tainted with gore and Katzen's lifeless corpse lying in front of him.

"No…" Ultima gasped, watching as the empty shell of what once was her brother turn towards her mercilessly. The Queen of Arcus noticed Inkereign's egg in Katzen's clutches. She knew she was trying to protect their only child from his claws. This dragon had the guts to attempt murder on his own family. In a flash of smoke, Ultima temporarily blinded Dharkon's eyes as she dived straight for the egg and flew out the room door. Her brother managed to spit out a rain of bullets at her, some ricocheting off her rainbow-spectrum wings. Coated in lightning, Dharkon grabbed ahold of Ultima's body and threw her onto the floor. Thankfully, the egg itself was as tough as iron, so the impact left no scratch.

"All this time I thought you cared for me," Dharkon growled, his tentacle wings wriggling with envy and hatred.

"I do care for you, Phoenix," Ultima explained, her heart beating fast in fear and her eyes starting to swell from the tears she built up. "Just don't do this…" Dharkon still did not listen as he rose into the air and struck her with a blow so hard she literally flew out of the Sky Temple through the smashed walls. Even if she was still holding onto the egg of Inkereign, Ultima could not even fly because she was so numb. As she was falling from the floating island, Galeem swooped to her rescue in time. He used his legs to grab onto Ultima's body while also watching the egg of his future nephew or niece. Medley was also carrying Sozo when she fled from the Sky Temple with him, and her eyes swam in their own fluids as she began to cry over the loss of her sister. Ultima saw the storm cloud rising in the air, their lightning spreading all across the sky. Dharkon's outstretched wings shattered through the walls of the Sky Temple, and his otherworldly maniacal laughter rang throughout the land. His army of Crazy Hands, all led by Hakai after he became the Hand of Destruction, flew throughout the skies. As the sky was about to forever remain in darkness, Kirby's vision was up as he was transported back to Gallia.

* * *

"Kirby…?" Toon Link asked, tapping the pink puffball's squishy face. "Are you okay?"

"Kirby always does this after someone rescues a fighter," Fox answered as Kirby sat back up. "We just need to give him time."

"Speaking of which…" Link responded, hoisting Kirby up where he was met with his two clones. "Glad that you're up. Come on. The gate to the Rathalos is open and we need to do this." Kirby then looked around and saw not a single Mii Fighter was around, and all the Light Puppets and Kirby Supporters were killed.

"While you were out, the Mii Brawlers fled, but the Mii Gunners were free from capture," the ex-Gunner Ultimate Reborn explained. "I took inspiration from Gilbert's actions and told them to wait for us at the Undying Light, so we're pretty much stuck here. At least I kinda understand the Mii Swordfighter is giving himself an ancestry name, so I guess mine is Sherry from now on. Just thought I'd let you know…"

"Hello?" Captain Falcon asked. "We don't have time. We have to defeat that Rathalos before he leaves the island, so we better make this quick, okay?" As fast as the wind, all the fighters ran beyond the gateway, and Kirby was about to join them too. But when he looked back, he saw the red and white Kirby Supporters gathering around an orange puppet fighter of their kind, hello it up. Like before, they sensed a mutual bond between each other, and now there was a third Kirby Supporter. However, it looked like it didn't have much of a choice as it was completely immobile. Kirby touched its face, feeling as sorry as ever for it.

"Poyo poyo poyo," Kirby said, alerting his three clones to follow in after them. Without looking back, the pink puffball and his puppet fighters ran into the island of the Rathalos. Though this perilous and random journey, Kirby had came to the conclusion that someone was building up all this. As though the person coated in black mist was special. After all, he was responsible for corrupting Phoenix. Could there be something of play in mind? Hell, Kirby faced against eldritch gods before in his life. How was it any different?

When Kirby looked ahead, he knew there was something going on. Somewhere out there was a being that is watching their every move. All the enemies they have faced before are somehow connected to one event. One person. One deity.

Eternia. Or what remains of her…


	59. Pt 59: The Beast of the Skies

Deep in the forest of the island, the Smashers traversed the foreign landscape to hear the roads of the Rathalos from a mile away.

"He's still here," Sherry told the group, staying on the path as she followed the noise. "Perfect." King Dedede and Bowser tagged along behind the Mii Gunner. The rest of the fighters already ran off, not giving Kirby a chance to catch up since he was busy helping his two clones carry the orange Kirby Supporter. Sheik stopped for a moment and picked up the wounded Kirby clone, carrying it on her shoulders.

"Strange how our greatest enemies can eventually become our friends in a time of need," Sheik said. "Depending on where your little buddies came from, this is surely a miracle…" Kirby rubbed his cuddly face in glee. After spending days in the new world that thrived for five years he was not used to during the decade he could remember. This was surely a thrill for him, and he was happy knowing his friends were alive and well, waiting for him to be their savior. He now realized he was no longer alone, and he was glad because of it.

"Kirby! Sheik! Look what we found!" The Smashers had just uncovered something, and Zero Suit Samus was already calling for the pink demon and the Sheikah.

A few minutes later, Kirby and his team were out on an open field. The grass itself was paper thin, and the wind was almost non-existent. Lying on the soft ground was a trophy of Kirby, bound by the blue ropes from before. From the looks of things, it seemed as though the statue was sleeping but standing upright at the same time.

"Geez," Dr. Mario said. "Thank the stars Kirby didn't end up like that…" The three Kirby Supporters inched closer to the trophy, becoming curious about the cloning machine they emerged from. When they looked back on the fighters, the red, white, and orange puppets were starting to think about their own existence. Was their true purpose just to serve Galeem? Regardless, this trophy was too dangerous. Not even the Seraph of Order can have this much control. The three Kirby clones looked back at the Smashers they were forced to team up with, their eyes finally opened.

"Are you sure you want to do this, guys?" the Luminary asked. "If you destroy the machine that gave birth to you, you're probably gonna die." The three Kirby Supporters looked at each other, knowing the risk they were about to take. Besides, it was more important for the fighters to finish the mission. They were just Supporters after all. Kirby himself ran towards his allied clones and cuddled each of them together into a group hug, showing he still cared for them.

"Goo- Good…bye," Kirby stuttered, stepping away and letting the three Kirby clones do their duty. Pulling out their hammers, the Supporters waited for their weapons to reach the points when they burn, and they took one mighty swing all at once. The trophy base was gleaming in a bright white, and the Kirby statue was starting to crack. Once the trophy shattered into a thousands pieces, all that remained was nothing but dust.

Unlike other Supporters that simply remain until they were hunted down to extinction, the Kirby clones felt themselves crumble into Shadow Bugs. With one more look at their friends, those glowing-red of theirs vanished to reveal the Spirits who were possessing the Supporters.

They were each, in fact, the glowing-red three parts of Kirby's air-riding machine: the Dragoon split into three parts. Part A, the body, was from the red Kirby. Part B, the head, appeared from the white one. Part C, the tail, emerged from the orange Supporter. The three parts merged themselves together into one, and the combined machine flew right into Kirby's body like all the other Spirits. Just when things started to calm down, thorny vines quickly emerged from the ground without any warning.

The fighters were shocked when they heard the maniacal screams of none other than Flowey himself, towering over the team and glaring at them with his soulless eyes. From what they could tell from his expressions, he was pissed off about the Kirby statue being destroyed.

"Why, when Galeem gets his hands on you, you will all pay!" Flowey screeched. "I will not fall like the Werewolf, King Bulbin, and Balder! I am the one true servant of the Seraph of Order!" Flowey then started shaking his head and releasing pollen into the air. The yellow cloud signaled the Rathalos and alerted him to fly down. The wyvern landed behind Flowey, his roar deaf enough to stun the fighters if they were too close to his fangs.

"As Galeem's prized Rathalos devours your flesh, I'll come in and finish you off!" Flowey finished, his laughter echoing throughout the plains as he burrowed underground. The Rathalos first attacked by swinging his clubbed tail, trying to knock the fighters onto their feet. King Dedede and Peach started grabbing onto the Rathalos' back. When the wyvern tried shaking them off while still swinging his tail, the two fighters teamed up with Pikachu and Lucario and began using their aerial attacks.

Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, and Shulk paid attention to the fireballs sent after them, dodging all three of them in time. The Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner jumped over the Rathalos as he dashed right at the group, and they began hitting the tail. The two ex-Ultimates had noticed Pitfalls, Deku Nuts, and explosive barrels stored in the back end of the Rathalos.

"Quick!" Sherry told Gilbert as she dug up the items and passed them to him. "Pass these around to each of our friends!" The Mii Swordfighter obeyed and ran on the Rathalos' body, trying to pin the monster's head down while throwing the three types of items onto the ground.

"Got them from this creature's tail," Gilbert explained, ready to jump off as soon as the Rathalos was about to fly. "Grab whichever suits you best and throw them at this beast!" Ireburn, Clementine, and the rest of the team all grabbed their items, with Red sending out Charizard to pick up an explosive barrel.

Once the Smashers threw their items, the Rathalos was starting to become dazed by the Deku Nuts, stars spinning around his head as the fighters used constant smash attacks. The Rathalos then shook his head and took off into the air. He flew farther into the fields, keeping his eyes on the team of fighters. Fire started erupting from his fangs as he was ready to unleash powerful fireballs.

"Everybody-a spread out!" Dr. Mario alerted the team. Each of the fighters ran off in different, frantic corners, making it difficult for the Rathalos to target each one individually. Because it could not decide on which target to attack, all three fireballs blew up in his face. The stunned wyvern tumbled out of the sky, crashing right in front of the Smashers in the overturned soil that was also conveniently activated with a Pitfall. As the beast struggled with digging itself out, Bowser and Pokémon Trainer's Charizard started breathing fire while Samus and Zero Suit Samus fired their own projectiles.

The Rathalos managed to dig itself out of the ground and took off into the air, now trying to target the fighters and attack them with his poisonous claws. Fox and Pikachu were few of many, if not all of, the Smashers that paid attention to this attack and managed to dodge the ferocious swipes with their side specials. These specials also damaged the Rathalos, which was lucky enough for the fighters to throw their projectiles at the flying wyvern. Bowser jumped high into the air and quickly slammed his bottom against the Rathalos' back, dragging it onto the ground with him.

"Now's your chance, anime sword boys!" Bowser called out for Link and the Hero.

"Toon Link! Ex-Ultimates!" Link ordered, charging in. The Luminary's sword crackled with lightning as he rushed towards the Rathalos. Soon, the rest of the fighters ran in as Bowser was spamming his powerful down smash, throwing out one final strike to kill the Rathalos. Roaring in defeat, the Rathalos succumbed and fell on the soft grass, the sunlight dully reflected off his red-and-black armor. The Smashers all sat down, thinking they finally got the break they had deserved.

"That's it," Fox sighed, rubbing his pointed ears. "I think I'm getting insomnia from these battles…" Things started to calm down until he started hearing a faint beeping noise. None of the other fighters could hear it as it was coincidentally buried deep within the tail of the Rathalos, but the Star Fox mercenary caught it thanks to his animalistic senses once again. The choreographed beeping sounded like a familiar melody… almost like a ticking time bomb. Sudden realization hit Fox as memories of the Subspace Army suddenly hit him. Fox then stood up and forced Kirby off his butt, gaining the attention from his team.

"We need to leave. Now." Fox grabbed ahold of Peach and made her stand up.

"But we just sat down," Ness groaned, getting off his butt. However, it was too late as the Pokémon Trainer suddenly saw the bright twinkle of the Subspace Bomb exploding from the Rathalos and quickly climbed on top of Charizard's back, flying away as far as possible. Thankfully, the fighters were far enough to notice the blast in time before they become consumed.

"Oh shit…" Link said, already tired from these constant ambushes. Before the fast-growing explosion reached the fighters, a beam of light quickly emerged from Kirby and, at warp speed, managed to pick up all the Smashers despite its small size. As the fighters held on tight to Kirby and to each other, the pink puffball looked down to see his machine – the Dragoon – save them from being sucked into Subspace. They all caught up with the Pokémon Trainer in time, with Zero Suit Samus grabbing onto Red's hand and pulling him on. The Pokémon Trainer pulled out an empty Pokéball and called Charizard back as they all soared into the air.

Piranha Plant and Eleven were the only fighters able to look back on the island as it was destroyed by the Subspace explosion before it stopped at a certain height. The light stream coming from the Normal Legendary Dragoon Spirit traced across the sky and carried the team back up north and to the Undying Light.

* * *

On the flying ship, Pit was already awake after his freedom, and he noticed the stream of light heading straight towards them. He was also at the pilot headquarters on top of the ship, and he grabbed a telescope to look at the stream. At first, the figures in the telescope were far away and unfocused until the angel discovered he was holding the spyglass backwards. He quickly turned around and saw the rest of their buddies on the Dragoon.

"Oh… my… goodness… Mario! Joker! Snake! Everyone! Kirby and the others are back!" Pit called out through an electronic communicator. As though they heard the angel, Mario, Marth, Joker, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Lucas, Isabelle, Duck Hunt, Pichu, Snake, Ryu, the Ice Climbers, Falco, and Simon all went out to the deck and saw Kirby, Piranha Plant, Sheik, the Villager, Captain Falcon, the Mii Swordfighter, Link, Fox, Dr. Mario, the Inkling, the Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Yoshi, Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Lucario, Peach, Bowser, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Mr. Game & Watch, the Pokémon Trainer, Diddy Kong, Shulk, King Dedede, Ness, the Mii Gunner, Toon Link, and the Hero all riding in on the Dragoon.

"Spread out!" Mario called out. "Clear the deck!" The fighters on the ship backed away to let those that were soaring through the air to hover safely off the steel floor. As soon as the Dragoon Spirit vanished, never to return, Kirby and his group managed to land on their feet and see the Northern Barrier finally shatter. The reunited group of fighters looked back at the flashing-red UV sphere and watched as the strong vortex of the Subspace explosion pull on the last remaining hexagons of the barrier. Once the pieces flew out of sight, the Galeem Void was open to the Smashers at last.

Faker emerged from inside the Undying Light, surprised that Kirby was alive and well. She ran to Kirby and hugged him tenderly. Once she broke the hug, the other fighters were conversing with each other over their safety.

"I am so-a glad you people are-a okay," Mario spoke with Fox, Link, and Zero Suit Samus. Donkey Kong playfully head locked Bowser as a means of relief. Pikachu nuzzled Pichu's nose.

"Joker!" Ireburn called out, shaking the Phantom Thief's hand. "My man. How you doing?"

"Great," Ren replied. "Glad you managed to survive without Galeem capturing you."

"As is you," the Luminary spoke. "And look who we found…!" The Hero reintroduced Joker to the Piranha Plant, who licked the Phantom Thief's face until he laughed.

"Good to see you too," Joker chuckled. As soon as everything had calmed down, Mario raised his hands to the sides of his face and made sure everyone was quiet.

"For five-a long years, we had been waiting for a chance to return home without even having any memory of it," Mario addressed. "And we owe it all to you, fighters that had lived through the Movement of the Light." The red plumber congratulated Kirby, Piranha Plant, Joker, and Eleven.

"If it hadn't been for your survival, we would have never made it to this point," Mario continued. "A round of applause, everyone!" For this incredible milestone, all the fighters that had been reawakened clapped and cheered, thanking Kirby and the three survivors. Just then, the applause stopped when Fox objected.

"Wait," Fox said. "There are still many other fighters under Galeem's control, including… our loved ones and rivals…"

"Plus, there are three more of our friends still out there," Joker noted. The fighters in the team then became aroused by the absence of the rest of the Smashers and complained about how much they wanted them back.

"People, people," Falco told everyone. "Let's make for what we have do right now. All that matters is we bring down Galeem from his throne, and then we can worry about our friends still under captivity and those that survived the onslaught but are still out there. For now… let's just take the route we created in the space scenery." Mario and the Smashers nodded in agreement, and they all went into the Undying Light below the deck. Faker stayed outside for a while, marveling at the black hole that is the Galeem Void. She then noticed streaks of light entering the void, and she became curious as to what they were.

* * *

At the island where the Rathalos was defeated, Flowey reemerged from the ground. Looking around, he saw nothing but a barren wasteland from where the luscious field used to be. With a look of terror and guilt on his face, the demon flower was not ready to tell Galeem the bad news.

"The Lord of Light's gonna kill me," Flowey said to himself. As much as he would like to wish wasn't possible, Galeem knew what happened and is now ready to blame Flowey for them getting away. An aura of light surrounded the flower, transporting him back to the Galeem Void.

Flowey gulped when he saw the Seraph of Order himself mounted on top of his throne, the cloudy, golden sky gleaming at its brightest behind him. Galeem descended to the flower's level, a light of anger and fury in how the light around him radiated.

"I gave you one simple task," Galeem snarled, his dull roar gurgling in his breath. "You goal was to stop the Super Smash Brothers from reaching me, and you had still failed."

"Don't blame me, boss!" Flowey objected. "If you had trained that dragon mutt to follow your orders better, maybe this wouldn't be of your concern! I can't even believe you and the Rathalos are part of the same biological order though born on different planets!" Galeem's light aura flashed in a bright color, offended by this backtalk.

"I did what you asked me to!" Flowey snapped. "I used my skills to hold these fighters back, and my strategy was to finish them off when they were too tired to keep on fighting! I had no idea their combined strength would doom your reign!"

"Maybe you should have thought about attacking them first before becoming a coward and hiding underground like the hotel of a world you came from…" Galeem growled. "For your failure, you know about the penalty."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Flowey yelled, the thorny vines from his small stem growing on his back. As the demonic flower lunged at Galeem with his fibrous roots, the Seraph of Order simply snapped his fingers and froze the flower in midair.

"I like your dedication," Galeem chuckled lightly, his glowing humanoid hands gracing the monster flower's yellow petals. "However, my powers have been drained long enough to the point that I can no longer use the light trick to disintegrate your body." The original Master Hand then emerged from behind Galeem's wings, his shadow spawning the original Crazy Hand. The two Hands then ripped open the gateway to the Dark Dimension again but behind Flowey.

"With the way you stick your vines out like that, you reminded me of my brother," Galeem said. "Hopefully you can meet him there." Galeem's six wings then pushed Flowey into the Dark Dimension, unfreezing him in the process. As the flower struggled from the portal's powerful force, he tried to grab Galeem's neck and drag the Seraph of Order along with him, but even his vines were too short. Some were even snipped off and wriggling on the stone ground once the portal closed. The Crazy Hand vanished, and the Master Hand this time floated in place.

"Team up with the other Master Hands," Galeem ordered the glowing-golden Hand of Creation. "Gather up all the remaining Primaries and Supporters on the planet that have yet to be freed from my control." The Master Hand willingly obeyed, flying out of the Galeem Void. Tabuu appeared near Galeem's side as the Lord of Light sat back down on his throne, slamming his glowing-white fist into the throne's arm. Galeem then noticed the remaining Fighter Spirits charge in towards them. Due to the Northern Barrier shattering, this provided the remnants of the captured fighters a chance to get back to their bodies. Galeem simply raised his hand, freezing the Fighter Spirits in place.

"Do you really think you people can stop me?" Galeem asked, floating off his throne again. "You lower lifeforms do not know who you're up against…" The Seraph of Order looked upon the Fighter Spirits in his grasp again, knowing that the bodies of Dark Samus, Luigi, Daisy, Zelda, Lucina, Young Link, Ganondorf, Mewtwo, Roy, Chrom, Meta Knight, Dark Pit, Wario, Ike, Sonic, R.O.B., Wolf, Rosalina & Luma, Greninja, Palutena, Robin, Bowser Jr., Ken, Cloud, Corrin, Bayonetta, Ridley, Richter, King K. Rool, Incineroar, and Mii Brawler were all still under his control.

"You can't keep holding us back like this!" Ganondorf's Fighter Spirit called out.

"My papa and his friends are gonna drag you down to a very bad place!" Bowser Jr.'s Fighter Spirit answered. The clamoring of the Fighter Spirits started to bug Galeem, but he clearly did not mind as they could not even interact with him.

"Our buddies are going to end your tyrannical reign!" Sonic's Fighter Spirit yelled. Galeem turned his attention to the blue hedgehog, startling the souls of the other captured fighters.

"Because… 'you won't get away with this' was too overused…?" Sonic's soul responded in the form of a question.

"So… you were the one who set this up," Galeem told the blue hedgehog. "You were the one who sent Kirby five years into the future and started all this."

"How was I supposed to know where this led up?" Sonic asked before being grabbed by the neck of the Seraph of Order. Unlike other solid objects, Galeem can interact with the Fighter Spirits willingly, even harm them. So far, he is the only one with this distinction.

"You are really starting to tick me off," Galeem snarled, his fiery-hot breath warming up the blue hedgehog's Spirit. "I'm tired of looking at your face." Using his right hand, he traced his thumb on Sonic's left eye, his clawed fingernail cutting deep into the blue speedster's skin. The Lord of Light started at the base of the left ear before working down the eye in one clean, vertical slice. Since it dug down deep and had some sort of energy focused purely within it, it was painful for Sonic's Fighter Spirit as he screamed in agony. Once Galeem let go, Sonic fell to the ground, covering his left eye and the wound that now bled with gold. Tears built up in the eye that can see, with the blue hedgehog crying in terrible pain. The other Fighter Spirits floated to the ground and began comforting Sonic as he held his eye.

"This is what happens to those that disobey me," Galeem commanded. "Hopefully the punishment fits the crimes you have committed…" The laughter of the Seraph of Order echoed throughout the Galeem Void, letting the Fighter Spirits know there is no hope for them once the Forgotten Resistance has fallen.

* * *

Flowey stirred out of his unconsciousness, his roots searching the area for ground. He then saw the light of Balder's Spirit from afar. The demonic flower pushed himself as hard as he could, "swimming" towards the Lumen Sage. From what Flowey could tell, Balder started appearing with dark circles under his eyes and the way he moved around as though he was in terrible pain. His clothes were torn up to show the torture he went through was traumatizing for him.

"Flowey?" Balder asked, his pale fingers clasping the flower's head. "What in heavens are you doing here…? You haven't been transformed into a Spirit like we have?"

"Hell no," Flowey responded. "You okay, man?"

"It's- It's fine," the last Lumen Sage answered. "You need to find a way out."

"The ruler of this land tortures visitors," King Bulbin responded. "He even scared my own men away from me."

"Whatever you do, do not underestimate this monster," the Werewolf warned.

"You guys just don't get it," Flowey chuckled, playfully acting like a princess. "You all fell under some sort of spell from the fighters to make you think there is such thing as hope, and magic, and rainbows, and unicorns because you idiots are all weak! I did not fall for their messages of hope and tried to give them despair! The only reason why Galeem himself was too weak to transform me into a Spirit was because he was too pathetic! Like the rest of you! If I were to grab ahold of the Lord of Light, I will wring his delicate neck until he dies!" Suddenly, Flowey heard the booming noise of the blue-and-yellow eye behind him. King Bulbin, Balder, and the Werewolf all backed away in fear, not wanting to experience those tortures again.

"I like your confidence, newcomer," the eye spoke. "It sure was a mistake that my brother spared you."

"Wait… you and Galeem are… related?" Flowey asked. The eye chuckled deeply, which was followed by thousands of maniacal laughers surrounding him.

"Just be patient," the eye responded, ready to reveal his true colors. "Once Galeem sees me… it will be one happy family reunion…"


	60. Pt 60: The Battle Against The Light

The Hero looked around the room with multiple beds, taking a good look at the mural Kirby drew in stunning detail. From what he could gather, he saw the faces of the side he is now fighting with and plenty more unrecognizable faces. He was surprised at how much crayon Kirby used in this beautiful portrait. Feeling as though the mural was lacking his face, Ireburn grabbed the dragons, scissors, tape, and paper. Once he finished his drawing and taped it onto the wall, it was hard to tell the difference if Kirby or someone else that put the Luminary in the picture. After a brief minute of admin himself in the wall art, Joker walked into the room.

"Pretty impressive," Joker noted, recognizing that the Hero placed himself in the picture. "You even put yourself next to me."

"Thanks," Eleven added, rubbing his temple. "Y'know, I dreamed of becoming an artist before I found out I was a descendant of Erdrick. I was basically self-taught."

"Pretty neat," Joker replied. "I'm hoping the rest of our friends can do this… paint themselves onto the poster. That way they can show they are part of a bigger family despite not being blood-related. Whether good or bad, they can see where they belong here."

"I guess…" The Phantom Thief and the Hero admired the poster, standing around for a minute before the Piranha Plant opened the door. When the carnivorous flower walked in, it was time for the two warriors to head up to the deck.

"Ready to go back home after five years?" Joker asked, holding his hand out.

"Yes I am," the Hero answered, shaking the Phantom Thief's hand. The two then joined the Piranha Plant outside of the ship. The three fighters then met up with the rest of their friends, looking at the path in space with the faux planets and everything. Faker walked up to Kirby, who was staring out into the Galeem Void.

"You're still thinking about the rest of your friends?" Faker asked. Kirby looked up at the amnesiac warrior, nodding in agreement. From what he had experienced, the brown-skinned woman sounded exactly like Ultima in his visions. Maybe the stone he swallowed must be the key to her memory loss. As the fighters that had never been on the Undying Light before were passed around their own watch-like devices by the Spirits of the crew, the pink puffball coughed up Faker's stone. It still shone violet when it was reflecting off the sunlight, and the golden markings of the Smash Ball did not dust a bit.

"Poyo," Kirby added, giving the stone back to Faker. She picked up the stone, taking a good look at the gift she gave.

"If I wear this stone after it spent so much time with you, do you think I'll get my memories back?" Faker asked. Kirby shook his head, not knowing how it even worked. It just gave him keys to a past he had no idea happened. When Faker reattached the stone to her necklace, her eyes flashed a bright white and the gem gleamed with a rainbow spectrum. Kirby watched as all the fighters on the ship started experiencing the glowing-white eyes and went through possibly all the visions. Once the gem stopped glowing, the eyes of the crew stopped glowing too.

"What the hell just happened!?" Joker asked, rubbing his head.

"It was like we were in a whole new world…" Fox corresponded. The most startled was Faker most of all, feeling as though she was around the Dragon Age before. Even though she could not pinpoint when, she felt like she was part of that world in some way.

"I'm… starting to remember," Faker added. "My memory's starting to come back to me… I think. I still don't know who I am, but at least these visions could help you and your friends… Thank you for at least clearing my mind…" Mario was the first one to walk out onto the wooden plank, noticing that the path to walk on was only a few feet high. The fighters that had been reawakened as well as those that survived joined the red plumber's side.

"Are you ready to destroy the Lord of Light and bring us all back home?" Mario asked his friends.

"I'm ready," Samus answered.

"Let's do this," Falco added.

"Be careful," the Barbara Spirit told them, seconds after the fighters jumped off. Once each of the Smashers landed on the path, they looked back at the new and improved Undying Light, ready to take on the final challenge. Once they approached the Galeem Void, they saved goodbye to Faker and all the Spirits on the ship before they all jumped into the void.

After they stepped on the ground, the Smashers looked around and saw the deep golden sky stained with pure white clouds that looked like they were softer than anything to the touch. High in the sky, there was the army of Master Hands guiding all of the Primaries and Supporters the fighters did it even have a chance to rescue, each one too busy noticing the group of warriors staring up in worry.

"Where do you think they're going?" Peach asked.

"Galeem," Mario answered. "If we follow our friends, we'll have a higher chance of saving them." The red plumber then grabbed the princess's hand and ran with her towards the Seraph of Order. The reawakened fighters and the survivors raced towards the Lord of Light, keeping their eyes on the sky full of Spirits.

As time went on, the Smashers all made their way to Galeem's crystal throne. It was twenty feet across, spanning a massive height of two hundred meters. Sitting on the very top was Galeem himself surrounded by the remaining Primaries. The Supporters swirled around him and fed him his energy, making him grow stronger in the upcoming battle. Levitating at the base of the throne was Tabuu, still confined in the Chains of Light.

"Tabuu…?" Marth asked, trying to approach the God of Construction carefully.

"Wait… you know this guy?" Joker asked.

"He was a major threat fifteen years ago when the Subspace Army attacked," Link replied. "Now we see he's really just a slave."

"I had a good reason why I chose to serve Galeem ages before the Hands of Arcadia found you," Tabuu answered, his arms folded across his chest. "I wanted to protect… her…"

"Her?" the Luminary asked.

"Despite appearances, I am simply the raw power and wisdom. Her body and soul is my only way back to the physical world, and I had spent ages trying to find her after making her vanish from Galeem… I need… Ragnarokk…"

"Ragnarokk…" Sheik told the group. "Back in Arcadia, Cloud Strife told us about a Goddess of Oblivion made out of the Master Core and Tabuu…"

"You got the parts involving the Goddess of Oblivion and me right," Tabuu responded. "What you know is the half-truth. I want Ragnarokk back. Only then can I end the war between the light and darkness with your help…" Just as Tabuu was about to explain more, Galeem harshly tugged on his Chains of Light. The God of Construction groaned from the harsh pain, and the Seraph of Order floated from his throne.

"Thank you for finding my escaped pets, Tabuu!" Galeem called out, pushing the Construct God away from the crystal throne. The Seraph of Order then used his powers to crumble the throne into nothing but dust as he teleported himself to the ground level of the fighters. The Primaries that surrounded him floated to the ground, their feet touching the surface.

"So you made it all the way over here," the Lord of Light spoke out. "And here I thought I was going to die of boredom…"

"You let the rest of our friends-a go!" Mario exclaimed, his fists burning with fire. "Free the other captured fighters!" All the Smashers got into their battle positions, ready to bring down the Lord of Light once and for all.

"Very well," Galeem growled. "If you want your friends back so much…" The ground rumbled underneath the Forgotten Resistance fighters, shaking them to the point that they almost tripped. The ground then started crumbing, with the black obsidian ground of the Final Destination forming underneath the rocky dirt. The fighters looked around this huge ancient sci-fi battlefield, shielding their eyes as Galeem grew brighter than the sun.

Once the bright aura surrounding the Lord of Light vanished, all they saw was a humanoid being simply glowing white. His six wings began spinning around, surrounding him in a sphere. A bright flash of light gleamed again, and the three pairs of colossal wings fused to Galeem's true form. What they saw was the figure of a thin, quadrupedal dragon with his scales glowing white, the horns on his head straightened out. His claws shined bright like diamonds, with his whip-like tail waving back and forth. The six wings were fused to his back by a golden aura surrounding his body, and his eyes flashed red once he opened them, reverting to their standard color: bright yellow with a black outline with orange irises.

"…you'll have to go through me!" Galeem finished, spreading his wings to their original position.

"Then prepare for defeat, Galeem!" Fox McCloud growled. "Our combined strength will take you on!"

Galeem began teleporting through the air, dodging the attacks from each fighter, like Mario's forward aerial and Donkey Kong's punches. The seraphic dragon then flew up into the air and summoned three cross-like orbs. They simply didn't do anything. They just sat in place. Because of this, Smashers like Bowser and King Dedede paid no attention as they attacked Galeem, knowing the only place they can hurt him is his main body. However, the orbs started glowing and exploded in cross shapes, covering over half of the stage.

"Even with all your powers, you will still burn under the sun," Galeem resounded, teleporting across the stage. His wings emerged from his back, transforming into drill-like objects that flew across the Final Destination, trying to pierce the group of warriors. Bowser, being the heaviest, grabbed two of the wings and threw them back at the Seraph of Order. After being drilled by his own tendons, Galeem ascended into the air and glared down as those trying to reach him so they can attack. Simon, Mega Man, and Pit began firing their projectiles, all of them hitting the Lord of Light.

"Insolent foolish mortals," Galeem growled, a ball of blue lightning forming in his mouth. As soon as he breathed it out, it floated to the center of the stage before splitting into six smaller versions of itself. They began homing in on the fighters closest to them, mainly Fox and Falco. While the two were firing lasers at Galeem, trying to keep up with his teleporting, they quickly reflected the lightning orbs with their devices back at the Lord of Light. This managed to stun Galeem to the point that his six wings fell from his body and the quadrupedal dragon fell onto the stage. All the fighters then began jabbing and punching until above half of his health was drained.

Galeem then floated above the stage, his three pairs of wings fusing back to him. He let out a terrifying roar as his eyes flashed red to let the fighters know that he was low on health. His wings then formed a circle around him, and he vanished for a brief period of time to let three of his Light Puppets fight. Those that appeared in the battle for now were Samus, Peach, and Lucas. Piranha Plant, Joker, and the Hero surrounded the three puppets and attacked them with their slashing abilities, not even noticing that they were blinking golden. Kirby, seeing what was about to happen, quickly dashed right into the three Light Puppets, knocking them off the stage for his three friends to see the clones self-destruct.

Galeem emerged from the golden blast, his red eyes flashing so that they created a net of sorts that took up the entire stage. This net was made out of lasers that pinpointed a predictable yet powerful Barr of stronger lasers. Each of the fighters took care to dodge those lasers on the huge battlefield of Final Destination. As soon as the lasers vanished, Galeem teleported across the stage while unleashing more cross bombs and blue orbs of light. With enough luck, the fighters knew Galeem's movement and struck him down until he was stunned again. The dragon landed like a delicate crystal ball, meaning that he sounded like glass hitting stone. Once the fighters got him down to the lowest possible health until he floated back into the air again, Kirby jumped into the air with a flaming hammer and finished with a naughty strike against Galeem.

The Seraph of Order began roaring as he went into a spasmodic seizure, his eyes reverting back to their yellow color. As the dragon fell from the sky, the Final Destination stage crumbled underneath the fighters, but they were saved by the magic of the decaying Galeem Void. The golden sky spread out to all the corners of the world, and the Spirits that were rescued looked out from the deck of the Undying Light, cheering over the victory of the Super Smash Brothers. Tabuu's Chains of Light vanished, rendering the God of Subspace free.

When the fighters landed on soft ground, they began celebrating the defeat of their greatest enemy, glad that they can go back to their homeworlds with everyone. Kirby, among the friends celebrating, noticed the seraphic dragon right in front of them. The pink puffball pulled out his hammer again, still mad and unforgiving of what Galeem did to them. Mario stopped Kirby, and he walked up to the Lord of Light. All of the Master Hands, Supporters, and Primaries levitated in the air, watching as Galeem slowly tried to get up.

"I… lost…? How could I possibly lose?" Galeem asked himself. "I am… the Lord of Light and Seraph of Order…"

"It was because your mind was corrupted," Sheik answered. "I can see the truth in everyone and realize you are no different. Even with all the power in the multiverse, you cannot control it."

"Now give back our friends and return us home. We won," Ireburn told the Lord of Light.

"Give it up, Galeem," Mario responded. "It's over." However, Galeem simply laughed under his breath, spreading apart his six colossal wings.

"Maybe for you, but not for me," Galeem growled, ascending into the air whilst surrounded by the Master Hands and his army of corrupted fighters. The Arcadian Master Hand floated to his side, ready to receive orders from the Lord of Light.

"Banish them all to the Dark Dimension," Galeem commanded. "Make sure I never have to see their faces around here again!" The fighters looked up in fear as the Master Hand summoned the Crazy Hand from his shadows, ready to drag them away from Gallia. However, something… odd happened.

Instead of teaming up with his fraternal, the Master Hand flew back to Galeem. This even surprised the Lord of Light. A violet aura formed around the Crazy Hand summoned by the Arcadian Hand of Creation, and he simply floated in midair doing nothing. The Hand of Destruction then raised his jittery fingers, with all the residents of Gallia looking into the golden sky. All that followed was chuckling from the mysterious eye that reigned in the Dark Dimension.

"How ironic you can use the darkness to control all light from countless universes," the eye's voice echoed. The Arcadian Crazy Hand summoned some strange magic to cuff Tabuu's hands and shackle his feet, but with the Chains of Darkness. From those powers coming from the Hand of Destruction, Galeem knew this could only be the work of… someone he knew.

The fighters looked to their left to see a crack in the golden sky. Pieces of the sky began falling as the crack grew wider, revealing a sky of darkness. The Shadow Bugs gathered up in a massive storm, swirling around the hole. Beyond that crack was a sky of black, with its clouds gleaming a deep dark red. Soon, an army of Crazy Hands emerged from the crack to meet up with their Arcadian version, and they all turned against Galeem and his Master Hand army.

"Our long-awaited reunion and still you spout such nonsense," the eye's voice continued. "A tall, dark, and brooding guest has arrived. I had been patient for you to fall…" Grimy, black tentacles slithered out of the crack, with its thorny, magenta tips pushing against the edges. The tendrils shattered more pieces of the sky by their brute force, widening the crack until the entire sky crumbled into the black sky of the Dark Dimension.

 _That voice_ , Galeem thought, the dragon showing signs of terror of this familiar enemy.

"Hello again… brother…" the eye spoke, revealing himself in the center of where all the magenta-tipped tentacles emerged with the deep, booming noise.

"Dharkon!" Galeem snarled, golden flames fuming from his nostrils. "I thought we settled this once and for all ages ago!" The eye simply chuckled, his tentacles swirling around him.

"I still have unfinished business to take care of," Dharkon explained. "And when light falls, darkness rises…"

"I'll show you!" Galeem roared, telepathically commanding all the Master Hands to attack the approaching Crazy Hands. The Crazy Hands began crushing some of the first few Master Hands until they turned into a golden powder. As Galeem sent out his remaining Primaries and Supporters, the Crazy Hands grabbed ahold of them and brought them to Dharkon.

"Not Junior!" Bowser called out.

"Lady Palutena! Pittoo!" Pit cried.

"Cloud!" Link yelled.

"Sonic!" Mario gasped. Dharkon's blue-and-yellow eye then flashed violet, order the Crazy Hands to let the Primaries alone. The Galeem Locks on the remaining captured fighters shattered into the white mist, with their colors shifting into a dense red. They then reformed into Dharkon's own version of the Lock, transforming into his disgusting black tendrils and wrapping around the captured fighters. When they opened their eyes, each one of their pupils glowed violet with a red aura surrounding their bodies this time. Galeem became frightened that his own army is taken under his brother's rule all of a sudden.

"Chain them up," Dharkon spoke, a black hand emerging from the eye's slit pupil. He snapped his fingers, and Chains of Darkness appeared in the hands of the corrupted Primaries. They dashed across the sky, binding the remaining Master Hands with these chains. Galeem tried firing golden flames at the captured fighters, but the Sonic Primary managed to dash around and wrap the Chains of Darkness around the Lord of Light's legs. The rest of the captured fighters then threw the remaining chains around his muzzle and wings, keeping him pinned in the air as his magic was drained.

"Now this world shall become one with the Dark Dimension – one with Draxia!" Dharkon called out, spreading his tentacles wider from himself. The whole world suddenly became engulfed in darkness, with the freed Spirits crying in panic.

"Remain calm, people!" Flynn spoke out, trying to keep the situation under control. "Just a little error in the Smashers' mission…"

"You call that an error?" E. Gadd asked, pointing at Dharkon. Faker looked up into the sky to see the terrifying abomination, clasping over her necklace.

"Kirby…" Faker whispered, worried about the puffball's safety.

As the fighters watched the darkness take over everything, the Mii Gunner started feeling rather woozy.

"What's… happening…?" Sherry asked. She then dropped to the ground, fainting from the strange energy. The Inkling then felt the same, falling unconscious.

"I think this is the work of the darkness…!" Eleven responded before he too fell. Front and back, all of the fighters that were either rescued to begin with or survived fell to the ground. Mario was the last one to see Dharkon crumble the beautiful world of Draxia to his image, with images depicting the demons of Tartarus rising from the fiery cracks. When Mario fell asleep under the powerful magic, he could not tell the difference between the darkened sky and his own blackout.


	61. Pt 61: The World of Darkness

Kirby woke up in a familiar bed. The sheets were soft and warm, reminding him of home. As Kirby's eyes darted across the room, he saw that it really was his place, all the way to its dome-like structure. To him, he always lived here. As he opened the only door of this place, he took a nice breath of the planet he took rest on. The pink puffball watched the puffy clouds hover across the sky, listened to the birds in the trees chirping, and felt the soft, green grass on his feet.

He wakes up to this place every day, and he had no memory of being on another planet outside of Popstar's solar system. Trotting through the Green Greens of Dream Land, Kirby rolled around on the grass, giggling to himself. Once in a while, Waddle Dees were carrying fruits, meats, and desserts to King Dedede's castle, but Kirby paid no mind and simply rested underneath the branches of the Whispy Woods tree, knowing the Waddle Dees were just doing their job as usual. Only if they were gathering too much for the ruler of Dream Land did Kirby try to put an end to.

Just then, the Whispy Woods shook his branches, and an apple as big as Kirby fell out. The pink puffball watched the apple keep on rolling down until it stopped at a dip between two hills. Driven by his curious mind, Kirby followed to where the apple took rest. He then heard a strange voice in his head.

"…Kirby…!" the voice called out for him. Kirby looked around, curious as to who said that until he found out there was no one around him. The pink puffball then looked back at the large apple, which began rotting all of a sudden. The apple quickly shriveled up into a black pulp before it fell down through a sinkhole. Because the vortex on the sinkhole was strong, Kirby could not escape its pull as it sucked him into the ground while he tried to escape.

All that remained was the feeling of syrupy-thick fluids surrounding his body, the shattering of some sort of plastic material, and his own coughing.

* * *

Kirby woke up to the sight of haziness, his stubby arms swishing around in some sort of liquid that became thinner the more he waded around in it. As soon as his vision became clear, he rubbed his head, starting to remember why he was here. He was clearly not used to the life he lived in. When the pink puffball turned around, he saw where he was kept this whole time. What he saw was some sort of bean pod with some sort of glossy texture. From what he could tell before he broke out was that it was glowing green from the inside, and there was water leaking out from the shattered glass. Two wires were dangling out from the roof, indicating that he was in a simulation based on his locked-away memories this whole time.

Kirby then recognized more pods with Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Fox, Pikachu, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Bowser, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Dr. Mario, Pichu, Falco, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Snake, Pokémon Trainer, Diddy Kong, Lucas, King Dedede, Olimar, Lucario, Toon Link, Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, PAC-MAN, Shulk, Duck Hunt, Ryu, Inkling, Simon, Isabelle, Piranha Plant, Joker, Hero, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner in their individual ones surrounding him, letting him know he was not alone. So far, they were still dormant inside those pods, and they haven't broken out yet. The thunder rolled in the pitch-black sky, flashing throughout the red clouds.

"…Kirby!" the voice called out again. The pink demon realized the person calling out for him sounded very familiar. He recognized the voice to be Faker's, and he was finally happy for someone coming to their rescue for as long as they were here in this place.

"Poyo!" Kirby called out, his sound echoing throughout the place.

"Kirby?" Faker's voice asked. Footsteps started approaching the area of these pods, and Kirby was patient enough to see who it was. A Mii Swordfighter and a Mii Gunner dressed up in special forces outfits were accompanying Faker, who was dressed in a different uniform compared to her dragon armor outfit. She still wore the necklace with the magical gemstone, but she was wearing a helmet with a headset and a torn-up military uniform. Her fingers were glowing with the Fire Rainbolement she learned how to harness, which doused out as soon as she saw the pink puffball standing in front of her.

"Kirby…" Faker wept, kneeling down and spreading her arms out for Kirby to run into her chest and hug her. She noticed he still had the watch-like device wrapped around his nonexistent shoulder, faintly beeping as soon as he emerged from his old.

"It's okay," Faker reassured. "Everything's going to be fine. Break open the pods!" The brown-skinned woman ordered the two Mii Fighters, who got to work. The Mii Gunner tossed his bombs that covered a radius wide enough to crack open few pods at a time, while the Mii Swordfighter slashed more of the pods with her sword. Just a minute or two later, all of the pods were cracked open, and the fighters that were trapped inside began coughing and gasping for breath as they tried to stand up on their own feet.

"No, Zelda… come back…" Link moaned, balancing himself with his Hylian Shield.

"We almost had you, Andross…" Falco groaned, rubbing his head from the splitting headache. Once each of the fighters came back to their senses, Mario laid his hands on Faker's shoulders.

"We remember who we are now," Mario sighed. "This is… This is amazing!"

"Amazing, we wish," the female Mii Swordfighter spoke out. "You had been out cold for five years, and we spent this time looking for you…" The fighters looked at each other, feeling surprised that they had been asleep for another half a decade.

"Then that means… Luigi… Zelda… Cloud… Sonic… all of the fighters we didn't get the chance to awaken… They're still out there!" Peach spoke up.

"Good luck finding them," the male Mii Gunner answered. "We've been searching for your buddies for five years and their whereabouts are still unknown. They're always on the move, these Primaries. Quickly adapting to the new world of Draxia, where every day is a starless night. We can't even tell the time anymore."

"Follow us," Faker told the group of fighters. The team walked beyond the pod area, and the Smashers were shocked by what they saw. Terrified, even. What once stood a beautiful world now remains a burning inferno of chaos, where there are no rules and logic to follow. Floating masses of matter remained suspended in midair, and there was no real form of terrain to stand on. All of the solid surfaces were just chunks of what remained of Gallia.

"Ready to jump?" Faker asked.

"Jump!?" Joker asked, holding hands with the brown-skinned woman as he looked down into the titanic abyss that seemed to extend all the way to the center of the planet. As soon as Faker jumped, the Phantom Thief was about to scream until he realized the gravity was all screwed up, meaning he could float to the other side of a larger chunk of rock with ease.

"Like we said," Faker told the fighters from across. "There are no rules to follow, meaning the gravity's all messed up in certain areas…" The fighters, after seeing it was safe, jumped across to the other side. For the rest of the journey to their destination, the team had to use vine bridges to cross. They eventually managed to arrive at the Undying Light… or whatever was still here. There was a small team of Spirits excavating the ship from what appeared to be a stone island, one that had a glowing violet crystal that provided light.

"Things had gone to shit after you vanished for five years," Faker explained. "Dharkon has captured Galeem and his armies, drastically changing this place. Once everything remained calm, we found the ship like this for some reason. We've been rescuing Spirits from multiple Supporters and even managed to hunt your own clones to extinction, but that's about it."

"Any reason why we were hidden in those pods to begin with?" Zero Suit Samus asked.

"Don't know," the female Mii Swordfighter responded. "Probably Dharkon wants you alive for whatever game he's planned."

"And what about the three fighters that survived Galeem's attack?" Ireburn asked.

"No one's seen them ever since the Movement of the Darkness," E. Gadd answered, the Spirit overhearing the conversation as he was helping dig out the ship with a soundproof jackhammer he just invented. "However, one of our Mii Fighter troops had spied mysterious figures each going into three separate areas that split off from the rock we're conveniently stuck on. A few months ago, we figured out Dharkon was living in some sort of void similar to how Galeem his from our reach. The only way we can get to him is through defeating each boss that lives in these three areas. Most of our comrades went into those places… but some never came out alive. Those that did managed to retreat but failed to finish their missions. If you want to go down those paths, be our guests. However, this world is dangerous. And I. Mean. LETHAL. You'll die seconds after stepping foot in those sub-areas." The E. Gadd Spirit then went back to work, and he was joined by Faker and the two Mii Fighters who were in the search party. Mario looked at the team, trying to figure out a plan on how to win and survive.

"Okeydokey," Mario told his comrades. "We had just defeated Galeem. And by 'just', I mean five years ago. Nonetheless, it's time we prepare to go up against an even worse foe, that being an extended family of the Seraph of Order. In order to defeat these bosses and fight our way to Dharkon, we need to split up into groups: A, B, and C." Mario then fixed the device on his wrist into a compass, watching as the digital needle was in an induced seizure, but it was almost always pointing north. There were three paths to choose from: one that led up north, one that led southeast, and one that led southwest.

"I, Donkey Kong, Link, Toon Link, Sheik, Zero Suit Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Red, Ness, Captain Falcon, Popo and Nana, Marth, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit, Snake, Olimar, Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, PAC-MAN, Shulk, Duck Hunt, Ryu, Clementine, Simon, Joker, and Ireburn all take Group A, so we go southwest. Gilbert, Peach, Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Dr. Mario, Falco, and Diddy Kong, you're split into Group B and take the southeast path. Sherry, Samus, Bowser, Pichu, Lucas, King Dedede, Lucario, Isabelle, and Piranha Plant, you all stay in Group C and head up north. We each head back once we're finished with our missions, okay?" All of the fighters nodded in agreement, knowing which teams they are divided into.

Checking the compasses on each of their watch-like devices, they noticed their digital compasses trying to point north and knew where to go. Group C walked off north while Group B journeyed through northeast. Group A was about to head down southwest before Faker approached them one more time, wanting to speak to Kirby.

"Kirby… you may not know this, but… I've missed you for a while. When you removed fractions of my amnesia, I was starting to think clearly now. I've been able to learn from and control my powers just from the memories of a dragon. I'm hoping you can uncover more of my past. The stone I gave you seems to be helping you I these dark times…" Faker then clasped her hands over Kirby's stubby ones, giving him the stone she kept around her neck.

"Thank you for clearing my mind," Faker responded with a smile on her face. She then stepped back, waving her goodbyes. The Villager patted the puffball's back, knowing they and their friends will make it through. The three groups split apart from the submerged Undying Light, unaware that Dharkon himself was watching them through a magical mirror.

* * *

The Lord of Darkness kept his literal eye on Group A, watching that team of fighters slither down the bridge made out of roots. When he looked back in the pitch-black void he was living in, he gazed upon his own army. Warriors known as Dark Puppets stood in front of him, looking similar to the Light Puppets but were completely black with a red aura around them. The Supporters had eyes glowing violet, and the Primaries had the purple eyes but red aura around their bodies. The Subspace Army kept close to the possessed Mii Brawlers, and the laughter of the Crazy Hands echoed throughout the Dharkon Void, filling it with an unnerving disturbance.

"The Super Smash Brothers have managed to wake up," Dharkon calmly growled. "Now the game can truly begin. Go out into the World of Darkness and end their lives here and now." The army of darkness vanished from the creature's sight, and Flowey himself remained. He was still looking as innocent and as dangerous when he first appeared in the World of Light.

"…And why are you not leaving?" Dharkon asked, his glowing eye illuminating light on the demon flower.

"It's because… how do I put this lightly…? Um…" Flowey stammered. "Ya see, I came across these guys in the past, and they managed to overwhelm the forces of light."

"I am aware of that," Dharkon responded. "After all, I tortured that kind of information from my brother Galeem…"

"What I'm trying to say is even if you have forced Tabuu to do your dirty work with the Subspace Army, don't underestimate these fighters… especially the pink puffball they call Kirby. He's the only one of his pals to make it out alive and join forces with other survivors. With the darkness feuling my rage, I don't think it can make a difference."

"How do you know if you had never tried to use these powers?" Dharkon answered in the form of a question. The Seraph of Chaos then levitated higher into the air, still looking down on Flowey.

"Get on with it! Go on!" Dharkon commanded. Flowey willingly did as the Lord of Darkness had commanded, pulling out his own roots and leaving from the Dharkon Void. Just then, the Ganondorf Primary approached the Seraph of Chaos.

"Did I not tell you to leave?" Dharkon asked, his tentacles slithering around him.

"Why yes you did," the Ganondorf Primary responded, his voice sounding as calm and tempting as Dharkon's while also sounding rather familiar.

"So what brings you here, Mephiles?" Dharkon asked. Emerging from the Ganondorf Primary was a Spirit that appeared to be a Master Legendary, kneeling before the Seraph of Chaos. He appeared as some sort of dark-blue hedgehog similar to Sonic, his white markings shining like foggy ice. His most prominent features were his crystalline hands and legs. What made this Spirit even stranger was the fact that he lacked a nose and mouth, and he had red sclera, green irises, and slit black pupils.

"I came to check in and see how your reign of terror was going," the Mephiles Spirit spoke. "From the looks of things, it seems like you're doing fine…"

"You are different from the other Master Legendries, Mephiles," Dharkon noted, watching as the Spirit floated back into the empty Ganondorf Primary. "Somehow, you are the only one to find a way around the Dharkon Lock and interact with the physical world around you. I can see you are rather special…"

"I am intelligent, after all," the Ganondorf Primary said. "It's a good thing Ganondorf's Fighter Spirit isn't around to get back into his body before he and the others escaped years ago from your grasp… Besides, what about the one you did capture?"

"The glitch?" Dharkon replied. "Do not worry about him. I have managed to lock him up in chains. I am keeping him like a lab rat, changing and altering his chemistry, turning him into my most powerful soldier yet. He might even work by your side once I release him. Now, head to the Sacred Land. The first group will not survive through the remaining pieces of Hyrule... Now go out and stop these warriors."

"I will not disappoint you, Dharkon," the Ganondorf Primary noted, genuflecting before turning around and walking away. The Seraph of Chaos looked around the empty place, floating towards Tabuu bound in Chains of Darkness.

"Ten long years, and I am still not free," Tabuu sighed, his butterfly wings drooping down his back. "Just because I command Subspace doesn't mean I am instantly used as a tool."

"And how would I know you would not turn your back on me?" Dharkon asked, running one of his black-tendril appendages down the chains. They all led to some sort of birdcage carved out of iron if it was smoldered in hellish flames. Galeem in his dragon form lived in there, his six angelic wings held up by the chains, both pairs of his legs shackled together, and his own face muzzled so that he can still talk but he cannot use his Rainbolements to escape.

"Uncomfortable, brother?" Dharkon asked. "I can see I would not have a fun time in here if I was in your place."

"I wish," Galeem growled. "How did you change appearances in YOUR prison?"

"I can say the same for you, Galeem," Dharkon answered.

"Then why don't you kill me and put out every last light?" Galeem snarled, struggling with his shackles.

"I only need you to hold everything in place," Dharkon answered. "I only want to give your prisoners a false sign of hope. But I can assure you: if these fighters become as strong as one of your men claimed to be true, there will be disastrous consequences. Whatever happened to you changed me into what you see…" One of Dharkon's tentacles brushed against the left side of Galeem's face, not even hurting the Seraph of Order, and he revealed a golden scar on the dragon's left eye. Galeem rubbed his face into his shackled fore paw, getting rid of his brother's thorny tip caressing his features.

"You know about the Mother too, don't you?" Galeem growled, his golden orbs reflecting the dim light of Dharkon's eyeball.

"Only one of us can strive to her rule," Dharkon responded. "Whether one of us wins, it would not matter for the Forgotten Resistance. Their time is already running out under her grasp…"


	62. Pt 62: Your Best Nightmare

Group A began traveling down the bridge made out of roots, each one of their fighters trying to keep their balance. Once they got to the end, their feet began crunching with the sound of snow. Mario and Zero Suit Samus looked around and saw nothing but a dystopian city. Buildings and skyscrapers stood tall in ruin, their windows shattered and dead plants rotting in abandoned parks. Human skeletons were rather common in the crumbled streets, some cryogenically frozen while others burned as though a pyromaniac was present before. Billboards littered with advertisements laid broken on the sidewalks, and parts of futuristic vehicles littered what once were beautiful gardens. Bronze statues of men dressed in clothing from the 1800's or animals rusted from the snow and corroded from the bird droppings permanently stuck to them.

As the Smashers walked through this barren landscape, Ness found something inside the arms of a little girl's corpse, which was decaying slowly because of the frost coating her skin. When the black-haired PSI boy gently opened them up, he found a doll the size of his hand. He noticed the doll survived with one of its button eyes missing due to the burn marks on the fabric. Ness looked at Kirby, who was starting to become terrified of this new place. This troubled the pink puffball greatly as he looked across the city in ruins. Twenty years ago, he was just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill superhero fighting a strange god imprisoned on a planet. Now he had lost almost all of his friends in the middle of a full-blown war where one side takes over for five years. He took the doll out of Ness' hands, starting to feel sorry about what happened to these people, especially the murder spree of thousands upon millions of children that didn't even survive past infancy from the threat that is Dharkon.

"We can make it through this," Ness told Kirby as the pink puffball hugged the doll, tears dripping down his face. "We won't suffer like those poor souls did…"

The team continued walking through the desolated utopian, their footsteps marking prints in the snow. Because this was Draxia, they paid no attention to a team of Primids scuttling through the skyscrapers up high. The Duck Hunt dog suddenly heard the faint sound of glass breaking and perked his droopy ears up, and the duck member of the team noticed the sounds too.

"What is it, guys?" Fox asked, walking over to Duck Hunt. The Star Fox leader then started picking up familiar scents… a smell that stayed behind even after five years of hibernation. Once he recognized the aroma, Fox suddenly heard light rumbling underneath his feet. He quickly grabbed both the duck and the dog by their necks and ran back with them towards the group. Just where Fox and Duck Hunt stood emerged the thorny vines of Flowey.

All of the fighters in the group turned around and saw the demon flower glaring at them soullessly, licking his own lips of the brine they leaked. All types of Primids broke out of the windows from the skyscrapers and surrounded the team, with the Incineroar Primary right in front of Flowey.

"You… You sent me to this hellish place!" Flowey snarled, his stem bulging with different infant limbs. More vines emerged from the back of his head, changing drastically. "Because of you, I was banished like the others! The way you convinced the guys that worked for Galeem to change isn't gonna work on me! Now I know my true place here in Draxia! Dharkon has given me a strength I had before! You and the Primids better keep them company while I transform, Zavok!"

"With pleasure," the Incineroar Primary responded. Inside the body of the Pokémon was the Spirit of a leader of the Deadly Six that resided in the Lost Hex found in Sonic's world: a Zeti known as Zavok. The many different types of Primids were just ready to attack, and the Incineroar Primary was popping the bones in his neck as he approached them.

"Okay, never mind," Flowey answered, sounding more demon-like. "I take care of these bitches while you feast on their flesh!" When the Smashers looked behind the Incineroar Primary and the Primid army, they became shocked with terror. What they saw was no longer the flower they had gotten used to. Because of the darkness fueling his powers, it was impossible to tell what was about to happen next after the transformation. The enormous creature standing before them had the face of a TV screen, rigged with wires and cables. Vines slithered around his elongated, swan-like stem, with flames ready to burst from the budding flowers and ninja stars spinning with the thorns at their centers. The most terrifying feature had to be the strange mouth at the center, which had four human-like eyes and a vertical mouth with goat's teeth and a bull's nostrils.

"̖̱̹̬̳͇̯Ǧ͕̝͐ͦ̃a͎̼z̽ë͚͇͙͈ͥ̎ͭ̆͋ ̮̅͛͂͒̚b̖̰͎̹̤̪̲ͦ͆̓̌ͨe̞͉̯̱̒͊̾ͅf̓͌̿̆͂ȯͯ̌ͮr͊̈̎ë̞͕͎̦́̅͊́͑ͯ͛ ̲̻̬͎̻͈̽̇t̩͈̊ͪh̻͛ȇ͎̹̙͙͈ͯ̔̂͂ ͍̇̇̽ͩ̈ͫ̏h̥̱̙̻̳ͪ̒͂oͨ̌͗ȑ͓̰̹͔r̯̯͑̑̄̆ͭo̯ͬͤͧ̉ͭr̭͖͖̩͈͓͆̀̀ͩ̈͛ ͦ͊t͇͙̘̤̖͓͍h͗ͯ̆ạ̙̩͑͒̏̓̀t̼̲̼͍͍͉ͣ̾ͯ̑̇̍̔ ̱͍̫̤̽̋ͣ̈́i̼̯̖̟̼͕̼ͥ̈́ͣs̩͈̝͕̱ͫͧ̽ ̟̩̈̽̉Ḁ͐͂̋̑̑̚s̫̗̦̦̰̫͌ͫ̈́̓̆̍ŕ̬̟̻͖̞͙͚̓̆̚i̠̼͈̅͋ͦ͌̍ͦe̬͙̘̪̰̟̫l̹̦̟͖͊ ̙̥̠̳̝̥ͬtͮ̏h̞̽͗̔̓̒ȅ̯ͩͭ͊ͣ̚ͅ ̤̻̻̗̜͓̾͆ͧͥ̾̏Ô̙̽͑̒̆͗̚m̜̙̺̩͍̔ͧ̀̿͑ͧe͉̼̹͓̣͓̔g͕̗̠̲a̫̪̻͉̮̥͊̓̒ͨ͌͋̈ ͕ͯ͛͊F̞̘̖͖͍̋͊͐̂̾l͔̻̗̥̮̮̝͊̅̽̈́̑o̫̔w̤͊ͬ̂̏̔̌e̻y̞̖͓̦͊ͅ,̈́ͭ̏ͤ̃̌ ̦̣̫̖͚͒ͯs̖̟̍͊͛͒̈́o͓̩̦͍͆̂͋̇̊̀̂ͅṉ̖ͅ ̘̥͒̊͒̔̃ͮo̯͇̦̖̿̔͋̚ͅf̯̯̉̎̌͌̆ͭ̽ ̯͈͕̱͉̐̊̆̊T͉̲a̰̦͓̭͐̇͑̎̚ǘ̿̾r͉̻̼̲̯̯̥̾͛ī̠͎͈ͮe̪ͧ͌l̹̂ͯ̂̍̔͊ ͨä̘̗̏̅̏̂͛̇n̘̝̺̥̫̎̿̿ͯ̿̆d̟̙̖̣͓͛ ͕̣̮̝͙̥͙̈́͆K͖̻̯̰͙̉̑̅̇̒ͯ̔ỉ̭n̩̩̞̻̱̯̉̐ͩ̍̊̚g͂͛ͫ̏ ͔̯̫̲̠͖̥̓͆̍A̮̺s̘̼̙̲̭͊ͦ̿ͦ͂ǧ̒̈ͮ̄͂ȏ͓̲̾̐̌ͦr͐ͤ̾̍ͮȅ̠̂̐!͓̩͎̝̫͇̐͐ͧ̽́͛"͓̳̲͕̜̲ͭ̈̃ the creature snarled. "̠̪͖̜̣̠͍ͬͪD̑͒̃̉ḫ̯̥̞̱̩͍̍͑ͮ̾̑͊̾a̙͓̤̳̻̹̝ͬṙ̙̚k̟̭͍̈́̆̓ͅo̤̹̓͑̍͒̑n͙̯͇'͖͊̌ͥ̈̌̒s̭̯̠̙̘͐͂̌ͤ ̬͕̳̣̤̘̽͛̍w̟͈͖͔̝ͤi̼̺͖̦̗͍̍ͦ̀ͤ̍͑̏l̞͈l̖̙̜̬̘̒͐͌̓̅̂̈ ̗͈͈̭̪͍̍̈͛ͪ͑̒s̙̺̪̗͈͗ͩh̪͖̥̬̮̠̊̆͌ͮͧͭ̾a̝̙̱̼͎̬̤̍̍̈́̈́͋̈l̯̙̮̳̻̭̓͊ͣ͊ͧ̏ͩl̪̹͖̑̑ͭ̑ ̼̼͐̏̀̃̑ͥb̥̗̩̟͕̜̑ͣ͐̈e̜̲͗̂̅͑̇ͫ ̝̺̼̺̜̹̎ͪ̅̓̍ͅd̜̗̼͈͉͈͛͂oͩͩͥ͊͛͑ͨn̘͇̫̯ͣ̾ͦͮe̜̲̥̝͖̺̮ͭ̒͌͂,͍͎ ̬͂͊̎̎͐̆ạ̫̈́̃nd͕̼̠̲́ ͈̠̬͇͚̖͍̑̈́̾̎̏͊ͧỷ̭̙̦̇ͦͧ͒͋ŏ̉̍ũ͊ͭ̎̔ ̜̪̪ͦ͌̓ͭ̐w̱̦̘̗̜̰̑ͤͮͅil͔̰̼̤̈́l͍͖̺̭̐̀̄̎ͅ ̹ͯ̈a͎̖̩̲͚̙ͭ͂ͬ͆̌̈́ͅl͉̈ͤl̰̬̦̠͉͉ͭͫ͂ ̖͊̓̑̉̌̆̊p̫͓͚̯̐́e̩͍͖̳̤̽̓͑ͩr͖̥̰͈̳̈́ͯ͊ͩ̚ͅiͬ̇̿ͣ͆̃s͎ͬ̀h̅̔͗̓ͧ͊ ̞̯͔̞͉ͫ͗͌u͉͈̮͙̥ndͧ̋̏er̪̼̱̳̦̩͔ͯ ͇̳͈̭̈h̞̩̪͚̜̰̬͗̄ͩȋ̫̠̳̪̥̉̈̃̚ͅs͕͉͊̐̓ͨ̍́̚ ͔̙̌ͫn̹̳͑̌̉à̹̹̃m̥͐͐̇̈́̏̔̚é͉!͔̪ͤ̆ͭ"͖̜̆̆̈́ͬͣ̚ After the monster flower mocked the fighters with his signature laughter straight from hell, the Primids and the Incineroar Primary pounced straight after the group.

The Incineroar Primary locked fists with Mario, trying to preform a sumo throw on the red plumber before he quickly jumped out of the way and kicked the captured fighter's face. Fox teamed up with Pit and quickly pulled out their reflectors to send projectiles back at the Scope Primids that fired their weapons. Zero Suit Samus used her Plasma Whip against the incoming Metal Primids and Fire Primids. Joker pulled off his mask and fought alongside his Persona Arsene against the Giant Primids that were knocking down a few smaller skyscrapers.

The Omega Flowey simply sat in place doing nothing as the large team of fighters went up against the Incineroar Primary having just struck down the large army of Primids rather quickly with their combined strength. Sheik went up first and began moving fast enough so that the captured fighter could not tell what she was about to do. While Sheik kept slashing with her knives, the Incineroar Primary grabbed ahold of the Sheikah and began throwing her around. As an act of revenge, Donkey Kong quickly jumped in and used his Cargo Throw on the captured fighter, with the gorilla slamming the Pokémon's body into the concrete street. While DK was busy with the Primary, Mario approached the Omega Flowey and quickly charged up a powerful fire blast with his powers. However, the demonic abomination of a monster used one of his thorny vines to slither up to Mario and simply swat the red plumber's hand just as he was ready to fire. The charged blast shot all the way to the top of another skyscraper, surprising Mario.

"̗̹̲̺̗ͦͧ͒̌́̍̚D͎̺͈͈̖͇̘ͧo̟̮̻͉̭̍ͬ̒ ẏ̟̃̂̀̉ͮͅo̹̦͇͂ͨ̈́̍ͭͣü̻̜̮̘̑̇͊̂ ̟̮̩̱͒ͭͮ̏ͤr̘̋ͅe̦̟a͔̩̖̩͇l͔͎͈ͮ͗̒ͯͫͅl͊̀͒̄ͯͦ̚y̬̳̲̆̒ͬ͋̄ ̥̣̩̲̬tͫͬͨ͐̊h̔̔̆͋͛͛i̟͆̔̈̽n̙̪̘̟̺̉͋̊ͥ͑̒̀k̦̺̬̳̊̄ͧ͌ͬ̚ ͖̼̭̻̾̋̆̓͊͌ͨy͍̘ỏ̺̯͎̇̆̈̃̊u͚͖̱̦͉̎͛͗̌ ̲̥͓̂͌̎̈́͊ͦc̳̦̘̣͑͆̉̌̂̀ͅͅͅa̘̺̪͌ͦn͚̘̈̑̉̅ͪͬ͆ͅ ̖̣̼̪̘͕̤̅̂̀s̈́̇͒̏͊͗ͭt̩̺̟͉̓ͅő̔p͙̔͆̑ ͉̰̳̤͔̳ͤ͛̓̄m̟̮͓̪͓ȅͧ̉,͓̞̥̻̣̝́ͯ͑ e͇̠̬ͭ͊̌ṿ̘͓͙̓̅̈ͬ̑ͭ́e̩n̘̱̥͗̿ ͉̠̋ͅw̔i͖̞̩͖̤̮̯̓̏̈́̆ͩt̬̙̮̏̏͑h̬͙͓ͬ͒ͧ̎́͆͌ ͕̬̤̗̗̒̽ͣ̊͒̚y̠̤̙̳̆͊o̞̯̹̺̬̞̼ͦͯu̘͌̏̍̃̒ͩͧͅṟ̠̠̩̣͚̠̌͋ͥ ͈̜̩̮̻ͫ̽c̼̣̘͚̩͑̽̈́ͣ̿o͙ͯ̔ͥ̄ͮ͋͑m̹̥̗̹͔͎͇ͥ̔b͈̖̄ͦ̓i͇̹͔ͫ̽ͅn͉̙͔̎ė̜̪͛͂̐̐ͥd̬̜͓̲͇̆̑ͅ ͍̣͌̉s̩̐͆ṯ̥̣ͯ̈̅̄r̺̝̣̹̰̓ͧ̓̓e̝̫͗ṅ̜̹͈̝̇̽͛ǵ̫͉ͯ̂̄t̬̹̜͔͙͉̦ͥ͆͐ͪḧ͈̲̻̦͉͍́?̗̽̅̒̅͆"̝̫̹̦͓͖͕̆͊̈́͗ the Omega Flowey asked, all of his vines emerging from behind his TV screen face.

"This… looks like overkill…" Pit stammered, ready to fire his bow at the monster's face.

"͍̫̰͖̜̼͇̆D̲̥͇̱̼ọ͇̞̣̥ͪͣͬ̿n̦̘͓̤̐'̗̒t̞̖ͅ ̪w̮̗̠̰̩͎͑̐o̲̳̰̦̦̝ͦ̋̆̔̒̒r̺̝͎̳̼̳̱̾ͭͥ̋̈r̲̫̭̲͇̦͕ͩ̒̄̽y̏,̪͉̟̝̩̭͕̈́̂"̳̠̥̥̻ͦ͐ͤ́͑̚ the creature growled, ready to attack. "̞̘̰̼͙͙̽̒̄ͅI̋̌ͪ̇ͯͪ'̬̜̖͙̣͍̾ͭl̤̤ͭͫ͛ͭͣ̾̑l̟̰ͭ̄̓ͥͩ̊̚ ̗ͦ̒̓m̻̻̗̦̖̭̊̎̃̊̌ͬa͇̓̒ͤ̌ͥk͚͔͖͔̬͔͙̑̉ͦ̿̈́͗eͮ͋ ̮̹̘̠̦̠̓ͯ́̆̚ẗ͓̜̣̯͈͛̎ͨͨ̈͂h̗̬̱̬͔͍ͅi̱̺̳̿̑̌͐̊ͥ̚s̰̰̝ͪ̓̈́ ̙͕ͭ̉̅̍ͅq̹͚̻ͨ̐ͮṷ̘͚̠͔̞ͭ̉ͯ͌͗̉̂i̳̳̯͇͓͇ͧ̆ͤ͂c̖͈̪̙̱̤̺ͬ̏ͨ̃͂ͦk̏̆͑̎̆ͯ.͌ͭ͆̎͊̏.̦̜̏͋ͣ. ͛̏̈́̄q͗ͪͭ̔̄̚u͊̄i̞̖̍c̼͔k͓̞̩̺̐̃̓̑̍ ͉̓ͧ̈́̄̽̔a͕͖̦̙̘̳͐͐̾̀ͣn̫͇̠̖̄̓̏͆͗ͮd͙̬̥̻̖̦̞ ̩̬̲̪͕͕ͨ͐̀̀p̘̍̃͆a̭̩͍̻̼̣̘̽̔ͯ̊̓̅i͂̇̃̂̓̅n̺̤̝̉̽͂̈͒̚f̄̎̔̚ú̜͈̼̤̜̩ͥͅl̤̙̱̤͚̪̐!͕̦̜͑ͨͯ̉̀̌ The Omega Flowey quickly pulled out two flamethrowers, firing gigantic blasts of fire that looked like gods compared to Mario's most power attack.

"DK, look out!" Ireburn exclaimed, jumping right in front of Donkey Kong while he was busy pummeling the Incineroar Primary to kill percent. The Luminary quickly cast his Bounce spell, reflecting the flames that went straight for the gorilla. When they hit the Omega Flowey, they only did one point of damage even when combined. From what they could tell, the creature known as Asriel had about a million health points, and all of his attacks built up tons of damage upon the fighters, making the Omega Flowey by far THE most overpowered boss in existence.

"Are you kidding me!?" Ireburn asked, pushing Donkey Kong away from the demonic flower. When the gorilla finally threw the Incineroar Primary at the Omega Flowey, the impact of the thrown captured fighter also only did one point of damage. The humanlike eyes on the monster's body sent out tens of thousands of fast ninja stars at the fighters, forcing them to take cover behind the bronze statues and futuristic vehicles.

"Anybody got any bright ideas!?" Mario asked. Link quickly pulled out his Sheikah Slate and took a picture of the Omega Flowey, ducking back in time behind his hiding spot with the device as another hundred ninja stars were cast out onto the streets.

"This might be the most difficult fight yet!" Link answered, checking the stats of the Omega Flowey on his Sheikah Slate. "According to my sources, this guy has tons of health, is practically invincible to whatever we throw at him, even his own reflected projectiles, and can instantly kill us with just a few of his projectiles which are at so many and so random even Mega Man will call bullshit!" While Link was talking, the Omega Flowey began sending out tons of vines at the skyscrapers, knocking many over and forcing Group A to take cover behind fire hydrants, lamp posts, and even hiding in alleyways.

"̞͇͊̊̊̓̀̊T̲͖͇̹̮͍̠ͤh̖͔̪̺͉̐͋͌̄̆ͪa̻̳͐n͖ͮ̎̓̊k̩̝̬̘͍̤͆̽͊͒͊̄̃ ̹̟̲̪̹̙ͭ͋̄̇ͯy̱͖͖͎̗o̤͈̝̥͖̳ͅu͔̺̹͕̹̹̹͑,̼̥̇ ̞̙̣̀̑̈S̖̭̳̜̯ͯe̻̖͔̖̗̯̰̾̇̈͒r̼͙̱̙͈̱͑ͭaͬ͆ͩͮ̍ͣ̚p̟̖̺͔̗̙̼ͪͧ͑h̗͎̼͖̩̺̀͐̊ͨ͂̏ͅ ͙̥̂ͩ͊̒̓̚o̲̜͍͚͔̮͖̎̐̌ͯ̂̄ḟ̲͙͐ͭ͑̐̌ͅ ͓̅̋ͮ̽ͧ̇C͇̭ͭͯͯ̂ͯh͈̹̥̥̘̩͊̾͆ͪ̌ͬa̖̘̥̱ͨ̾͐͌o͚̥̮͎̬̞̍͆͊̓͗ͨ̚s͖̬̼̞̫̯̘ͮ͐̇̅!̭̹͙͇̅̒̍͆͒͋̆ ̬͐̈̊I͛̅ ̤͉͕̰͖̮ͧ̽̔l̗̱͍͓͒̆͛̂ͣo̱̳̳ͬͥ͌̾̓̋ṿé̝̫͖̲̲̗̣̄̽ ̪̲̥͛ͯͧt̆ͮͣh͍̮̳̯̜̗̖̽̌ͤ͐͆i̮͕̒ͬ̍̉́s̗̳̱̦̲̽ͪͬ ̬̙̂̑ͩͪ̏̏͑j̼̈̊ọ̘͈̘b̾͂̒ͪ!̉̓͆͛ͬ̈́́"͙ͦ͑̎ the Omega Flowey laughed, getting used to his powers due to having them before. He then spawned about ten circles in the air, each one carrying thousands of small but dangerous seeds that flew around like rapid-fire bullets. The Inkling quickly threw her Splat Bomb at the Omega Flowey's face from behind a broken monorail train, obstructing his view with the orange ink. The bullet seeds still flew hard and fast, piercing through the metal in some of the futuristic vehicles.

Kirby held on tight to the burnt doll from before, hiding in an abandoned flea market with Ireburn next to him. He held tight to the Hero's outfit as the Omega Flowey moved from his spot and went throughout the city to search for the fighters that scattered around to different corners of the metropolis. Despite his size, Asriel was extremely fast.

"̰̓͆ͤC̱͚͙̿ͪo͇͉̟̮̝͛ͪm̍̈́̎ͧ̿ͣe̱̟̯̦̰͙ͮ ̫̘̮̪̠̲͊͌o̲̘ͨ̂ͅṷ̹͍̠̝͉͑tͧ,̲̯̙̹̈̉̅̐ͥ̎̆ ̈́̌̌c̲̔ͤȯ̦̱ͦͧ̃͌ͩͤm͖̹̰̞͇̪͗͗e͙ ͇̹̻͉͕̗͓ͣ̈̔̾͐̒̄ỏ̖͚̠̺̺̖̄̇ͩ̈́̔u̩͕̯̫̪̹̽̿̇t̪̪̰͍͚,͎͇̲̥̥̙ͩ̄̃̏͗ͧ̚ ̞͌ͥ́͌͑w͉ͯ͊͛͒̋h͕͉̻̹͆ͤ̍̌̚ẹ̹͈̳ͬ̂ͣͫ͋̑r̰͛̾e͍̯͒ͦ̎͐v̮̣͍͓͇͈̘͛̄͑e̺̠̜͎̓ͨ͑r̙̤̖̯͙̣͗͌ͭ͌̈́̇̈́ ̼ͨͮͩ͆̽y̺͈͚̝̙̥̅ͬ͛̍ͣͬo̞̦̻͉̪̯͇ͯ̈ͭ̃̂́̐u̲̦ͤͥ ̻͙̮̣̯͔̝ͦ͋a͉̹̥̫̾̾ͩr̫̫̝̲e͓̺͖ͯͦ͆̈́̑ͪ!͚̟͚͎͕ͤ̂ͅ"̊͋ͣ̏̀̍͋ the Omega Flowey snarled, his TV screen face showing a moving picture of an eerie-looking man. The strange, goat-teeth mouth the monster had started firing a mass array of missiles, blowing up many different buildings and railways throughout the town. The flowers on his thorny vines transformed into Venus flytraps, which released scents that attracted swarms of flies towards him.

Mario tried burning down the incoming flies just before they hit him, but he had to take cover due to those bugs being invincible as they zoomed like bullets. Link and Toon Link pulled up their versions of the Hylian Shield, each one of those tools strong enough to avoid impact. Once all the flies entered into the Venus flytraps, they clamped shut before turning back into the budding flowers. He then began sending out three large bouncing vines with mouths at the ends of them, crashing into more buildings and trying to get the constantly-moving Smashers spamming whatever projectiles they have and throwing them at the Omega Flowey deal knowing he has the highest defense of all the enemies they came across recently. The monster laughed as he pulled out a wall of hands, each one firing bullets of fingers at the hiding fighters.

"….That's it!" Eleven snapped, unsheathing his sword and jumping out of his hiding spot from the flea market. "I don't care if he has no weakness! This bastard HAS TO DIE!" The mark on the Luminary's left hand started glowing again, showing he had already activated his Psyche Up spell and had just multiplied his attack for his Kamikaze spell. The fighters watched as the Hero ran headfirst into a chaotic spree of missiles, seeds, and ninja stars, his body ready to self-destruct with his input damage doubled by the enhance spell he cast before with Psyche Up.

Once the Omega Flowey took a good look at the Luminary ready to strike, it was already too late for the monster to attack. The eerie face on the TV screen vanished to show the surprised yellow flower.

"From Hell's heart, I stab at thee!" Ireburn yelled, landing his sword right into the TV screen face of Asriel right at the moment he self-destructed. The Hero's body spontaneously combusted, blowing up right inside the Omega Flowey. The damage dealt when multiplied by the Psyche Up spell read "999999 DMG" on top of the monster. From the flames emerged the demonic screams of Flowey, echoing throughout the dystopian city. The fighters each took cover in their planted spots, waiting the explosion out until the dust and snow settled and the smoke cleared.

"Ireburn!" Joker exclaimed, running towards where Ireburn sacrificed himself. The Phantom Thief adjusted the mask on his face and cleared the smoke by waving his hand, desperate about Eleven's own health. Once everything remained calm, the fighters managed to find the Hero's body resting in the rubble of the street. Joker's face began to tear up, his gray eyes filled with fear that he might lose the one he befriended for five years. The Phantom Thief hugged Ireburn's limp chest, sobbing into it and afraid that his companion's life was just about over. The other fighters bowed their heads in grief, knowing they had lost one of their friends from his own arrogance. Suddenly, the Hero quickly opened his eyes and gasped for breath. The Smashers began feeling signs of relief, and Joker backed away to give the Luminary some space.

"Mother of Hylia!" Sheik snapped. "Don't scare us like that again!"

"I… had no idea I could survive from that," Ireburn noted. "I was sure I was gonna die from the impact…" Link pulled out his Sheikah Slate again, scanning Eleven for any vital signs.

"Apparently the pods we slept in did do something to us after all," Link explained, surprised by the results. "Our skills have been enhanced to a point that some moves can exhaust us greatly until we can't move, but we cannot die either. How strange…"

"Over there!" Fox told his friends, pointing to the body of the Incineroar Primary. The Dharkon Lock's tentacles shattered into a red mist, floating above the Pokémon's body. Like the Galeem Lock, the red mist was attracted to the stone that Kirby swallowed before and entered inside the pink puffball. Kirby's eyes glowed a deep red this time, making him freeze in place and drop the doll he was carrying. Like all those other times before, Kirby was heading back to Arcus from where he left off.

* * *

Kirby rubbed his cuddly face, tapping the Smash Ball on his forehead. The pink puffball woke up near a pond so he could look at his reflection and take a good look at the golden eyes and rainbow aura. He then started hearing screaming from a distance, and reddened light illuminating behind him that provided the only light so far in this darkened world. Kirby saw the city of Civiltatula being burned to the ground, and Crazy Hands zapping down the buildings and hovels. Not even the dragons that can use their powers to put out the fires could stop them from spreading as they were shot from the sky by the Hands of Destruction. Kirby quickly ran towards the burning city and watched far and wide as there were many dragons that evacuated their home. There were others, even families young and old, that were incinerated alive from simply staying in their own homes for safety, their skills and abilities unable to save them.

Once the fire calmed down a tad bit, all of Civiltatula's survivors were dragged out by the Crazy Hands and rounded up into a crowd. Hakai, forever transformed into a glowing-violet Crazy Hand, levitated right in front of them.

"Submit yourselves to Dharkon and we will spare you," Hakai ordered. The other Crazy Hands made their finger gun gestures and pointed at the dragons, ready to fire their bullets.

"We will never surrender," one dragon answered. "We will hold onto the light even with our lives…" There were several more dragons that agreed with what he just said, most of them ready to die. Since most of the dragons were not afraid to die, the Crazy Hands grabbed those that were frightened and transformed them. The Hands could read the minds of the dragons and could tell if they wanted to join their armies or not. Those that they grabbed twisted their own bodies and turned into more Crazy Hands.

"Fire away, boys," the violet Crazy Hand commanded as he and the newly transformed dragons soared away into the air to spread across the rest of the planet. The Crazy Hands started firing with their finger gun gestures, obliterating the dragons that refused.

Kirby ran towards the cave far from Civiltatula, which happened to be the home Metallio and Toropikaru had always lived in. The two dragons watched with sorrow and grief as their eyes reflected the light of the burning city, the cries of its residents echoing throughout the land.

"It looks terrible, does it not?" Phoenix asked. The Lord of Darkness had instantly appeared behind his parents, his true form hidden in the shadow of the cave. His arrival surprised the two dragons, and they instantly became relieved to see their child.

"We were so worried," Toropikaru answered. "Hopefully you were not involved in that coup d'état… Why would you come to us…?"

"I spent too much time away from you and Father," Phoenix responded, his blue eyes staring past his parents to watch the burning city.

"…What are talking about?" Metallio asked before he noticed something different about their child's eyes.

"Phoenix, what happened to your eyes?" Toropikaru asked. "Your voice has also… changed…"

"It is nothing," Phoenix answered. "You two obviously need some rest."

"But we're fine," Toropikaru objected, she and her husband starting to become worried about their son.

"Nonsense," Phoenix answered, his six tentacle wings slithering out from the shadows. "I think it would be best if you went to sleep…" The two dragons became terrified of what their child had become, afraid to even lay a claw on their son now.

Galeem landed in the middle of the forest in front of their parents' cave. Ultima started to wake up, still holding onto the egg of Inkereign. Medley carried Sozo and her unhatched child Glimmeress next to the two siblings, waiting for them to catch their breath. The Lord of Light managed to catch the shadowy figure of Dharkon fly out of the cave, the thunder rolling across the air and carried along with his wings.

"We're too late," Galeem sighed, already knowing what happened in there.

"No we're not," Ultima objected, pushing the egg she carried towards Sozo. "Stay here with the eggs until we get back." She and her brother glided on the cliffside, grabbing onto the edge and pulling themselves up. Ultima was the first one to climb up, and she saw the bodies of Metallio and Toropikaru lying at the cave's entrance. She slowly approached the two dragons, confident that they were just asleep.

"Mommy? Daddy? We have to leave," Ultima said, nudging the limp arms. "Come on… please don't do this to me…" The Queen of Arcus started to tear up, her breathing turning into silent sobs. She placed her paw on her mother's neck, trying to feel at least a pulse. What she felt was… nothing. Ultima, suddenly realizing her parents were killed without the blood, cried into their lifeless corpses. Galeem flew up in time to catch his sister crying over their dead parents. Because of Dharkon exiting the cave, Galeem knew the Seraph of Chaos was the one to blame.

"When Dharkon falls into our clutches, he's going to wish he was never born!" Galeem cussed, the golden flames bursting out of his nostrils in short puffs. Ultima lifted her head and looked back on her brother, whom she knew was always with her.

"We have to find a safe place from our brother," Ultima told Galeem. "I've heard about a chamber which only the most intelligent dragons know about its whereabouts. Get Sozo, your wife, and the eggs and follow me." Ultima soared out of the cave, waiting for Galeem to get their friends.

"Whatever Dharkon found to make himself all-powerful," Galeem spoke to himself, "I wish to grab it and burn away the chaos he started. I will be the one to bring him to his knees…" As Galeem stood near the entrance of the cave for a while longer, the Smash Ball attached to Kirby flashed a deep red this time, and the environment was clouded with darkness. Once the environment went black, Kirby woke up from his first vision in Draxia.

* * *

The pink puffball felt the Duck Hunt dog sniff him, his cold nose causing Kirby to shiver. As Kirby sat up, he felt relieved to see his friends.

"Cineroar!" Incineroar happily growled, waving his hand and revealing he was lacking the purple eyes and red aura, free from Dharkon's grasp. The Pokémon noticed the Hero trying to stand up, his knees weak after most of his strength was drained from his Kamikaze spell.

"We owe you a debt of gratitude, Ireburn," Snake said. "It's a good thing DK was able to free the Incineroar in time…"

"Did it look like any of us had a choice…?" the Luminary asked, Incineroar helping keep up his posture. Once the fighters were ready to go, Mario looked around the dystopian city and saw all the damage the Omega Flowey did. Skyscrapers were shattered, vehicles blew up into rubble, the corpses were incinerated into ashes. This place was more destructive than it once was. From the gently-falling snowflakes, the red plumber noticed tree roots stemming out, each one of them connecting into a bridge attached to who appeared as the Great Deku Tree. The guardian of the Kokiri was long deceased, and his mouth was gaping open with a blue portal at the back of his wooden throat.

"Well, we've got Incineroar back," Mario told his teammates. "Hopefully he knows what begin this gateway to another world…" The Smashers continued down their path down southwest, and only Kirby stayed behind to hear the wheezing of Flowey the Flower, who was back to normal. His yellow petals were drooping in his face, some snapping off naturally from the cold wind of the World of Darkness. His face was scarred and broken. Flowey, now known as Asriel, was beginning to wilt.

"You… you beat me…" Flowey weakly panted. "I was pretty much the strongest, and the wits of your friends outsmarted me. Now it would be best… if you ended my life right here and now…" Kirby looked down at the dying flower, his demon teeth showing through his pain-filled smile.

"C'mon… I wanted to kill you before…" Flowey sighed, unable to smile anymore. "I wanted to prevent fate from happening, and I could not see the possibilities you can come up with… All you have to do is kill me… Do whatever you want: step on me, flatten me with a rock, cut off my stem – just make it quick and painless…" Kirby watched the demonic flower trying to sacrifice himself, wincing the more he moved.

"If you spare me… I'll come back…" Flowey snarled, looking up at the pink alien boy. "I will murder you in your sleep and I will torture your closest friends until they give up their lives… I. WILL. END. YOU." Kirby began to feel remorse and guilt for the flower. On the outside, he was a murderous monster, but what he truly saw was a scared child wanting to be loved. The flower saw nothing but pain – pain both from himself and others. He tried to be friendly, but all he could do was growl and snap. The pink puffball wanted to give Flowey a feeling of sweet release, but suicide was definitely not the answer. Instead, Kirby picked up the doll he carried along and gave it to the dying monster flower.

"Wh… What's this?" Flowey asked before Kirby hugged him gently. The demon flower then started getting mixed emotions… of love and confusion. There was something off-putting from that encounter that he just could not find the words to describe. As soon as Kirby let go of Flowey, he pushed the doll towards the flower and ran back to his friends.

"Hey!" Flowey yelled. "Why won't you do like I asked you!? Why did you spare me!? I can't understand… I can't… understand!... I just can't… understand…" The demonic flower began to weep, his tears freezing into icy droplets in the cold. He started to cry into the doll's fabric dress, his heart beating slowly. Instead of wilting and dying like most other flowers, Flowey slowly turned into a regular, golden daffodil, healthy and alive. The daffodil's petals were kept safe from the frost, and Flowey's sobs echoed throughout the wasteland he had created from the apocalyptic metropolis.


	63. Pt 63: The Altered Hedgehog

Incineroar kept a steady balance on the giant roots, watching the violet crystals lead the way to the Great Deku Tree with their lights. The fighters all stopped at the base of the deceased tree, taking a good look at the blue portal in the guardian's mouth.

"Whatever's beyond this portal, we're ready," Mega Man told the team. PAC-MAN gave a thumbs up as a response, and Villager happily nodded.

"Let's do this," Red said, making sure his Pokémon were in his bag. "Lead the way, Incineroar."

"…Roar," Incineroar responded, walking through the portal to the sub-area. Link, Toon Link, and Sheik followed through, with Joker, Snake, the Luminary, Clementine, and all the other fighters in the team heading straight through the portal inside the Great Deku Tree. Once they crossed to the other side, they opened their eyes to a strange new world.

What they saw was the Sacred Land of Hyrule, the sky a bright gray. Trees covered the landscape, with several stone bridges connecting to the center. From what they could tell, the Smashers were in the center of a big area shaped like a Triforce, with the Lost Woods at the bottom-right, the Kakariko Village at the bottom-left, and the Gerudo Valley at the top.

"Wow," Link sighed, his gasp filled with wonder. "The air and grass feel like Hyrule, even though it's just a carbon copy…"

"I gotta hand it to Dharkon: this guy knows how to perfect a world," Snake noted, admiring the place. All of a sudden, Fox McCloud began hearing beeping. He turned around towards the sound and looked at his chest, noticing a red reticle right at the center.

"Uh, guys?" Fox asked, noticing a Guardian aiming at him just beyond a hill. The fighters turned around and saw what appeared to be several more Guardians moving on their feet, some aiming for the fighters even if they were immobilized in the ground. Walking out from the team of Guardians was the Sonic Primary himself, sporting the purple eyes and red aura of the Dharkon Lock.

"Sonic!" Mario called out, keeping an eye out on the Guardians so as they did not open fire on him and his friends instantly. "Are we-a glad to see you again!"

"Sonic?" the Sonic Primary asked through a different voice and tone. "Do you mean the Iblis Trigger?"

"Iblis Trigger…?" Fox asked, placing his hand underneath his chin.

"That's right," the Sonic Primary responded. "The name's Silver. Silver the Hedgehog. I take it you haven't stayed around in Hyrule 2.0 for a while, haven't you? Allow me to give you a tour. You can obviously see what appear to be Guardians: stone warriors carved from the Sheikah. Let me give you a little taste in what they can do…" With a simple hand gesture, the Guardians started firing their lasers. Link, Toon Link, and Ireburn quickly surrounded their friends and pulled up their shields, reflecting the lasers back at the Guardians and killing them through their own explosions.

"Let's get outta here…!" Eleven exclaimed, pushing his companions farther from the incoming Guardian troops. Just as one Guardian was ready to follow them, the Sonic Primary stopped the ancient robot with the psychokinesis ability of Silver the Hedgehog.

"You morons won't even fit through the Temple of the Master Sword," the Sonic Primary explained, his red sneakers digging into the grassy dirt. "I must do this… for Dharkon…" Without another word, the captured fighter dashed after Group A, knowing where they were heading off to next.

The fighters got deeper into the center of the sub-area into a large temple the size of a battlefield, high enough to look at the three landscapes that were shaped like triangles. Not only were they vastly apart, they were also huge; Link pressed his hand against the cobblestone, noticing something familiar about this place. He looked down below of the temple they were in, admiring the language of the ancient texts carved into the rock. There was also a path spiraling upward, leading to a pedestal of the Master Sword itself. This particular weapon was completely different from the one the Champion of Hyrule had, even if they looked similar.

"Does anybody know what this Master Sword's doing here?" Simon asked. The other Smashers looked up the pathway and recognized the weapon.

"Well, that's pretty easy," Snake answered. "Normally, Link and his versions from alternate timelines would have to go through trials just to get that legendary weapon, but here all we have to do is walk up to it…"

"Link!" Joker exclaimed. "Your hand!" On Link's right hand, he noticed the lower-left triangle of his Triforce mark started glowing, only showing one third of the whole thing. Toon Link's left hand started glowing with the same mark, but the equal fraction of the Triforce of Courage was in a different placement. Sheik's right hand started flashing with half of the Triforce of Wisdom. The Smashers looked down on the ground and suddenly noticed the temple floor was a placeholder. The two Links saw their pieces of the Triforce of Courage combine together into two thirds of its original form, with Sheik's piece of the Triforce shining on the floor as well.

"Just as I suspected," Shulk explained. "The Triforces of Wisdom and Courage need to be made whole, and the Triforce of Power must be put back into its rightful place."

"So what we're guessing is that Young Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf are somewhere around here and we need to find them in order to complete the Triforce in this sub-area?" Mario asked.

"Guess by then, we can complete the sub-area and open a gateway closer to Dharkon," the Wii Fit Trainer replied.

"Then let's grab that Master Sword and get out of here," Fox responded, already running towards the sword in the pedestal. Just when things started to calm down, something grabbed the Star Fox mercenary and pulled him upward. The fighters quickly noticed the green telekinesis ability wrapping around Fox, with the younger Smashers dancing around in panic. The Sonic Primary appeared in front of them, levitating with his own powers.

"Figured I find you guys here," the Sonic Primary spoke, almost choking Fox McCloud with his telekinesis. "Excuse me if I'm being too rough with your friend over here…" The Sonic Primary then let go of Fox and dropped him onto the stone ground.

"Get him!" Joker yelled, firing his gun at the captured fighter. Mr. Game & Watch and the Inkling threw their versions of bombs at the captured fighter, but the Sonic Primary simply caught them with his powers and threw them back at the two Smashers. The Sonic Primary then landed on the ground and dashed towards Incineroar, jabbing at the Pokémon rapidly. Try as he may, the Incineroar was too slow and predictable to even avoid the Primary's superfast jabs and kicks. Before Incineroar could even use Revenge to multiply the damage and knockback for his neck attack, the captured fighter grabbed ahold of the Pokémon, lifted him up, and threw Incineroar at the other fighters.

"He's too quick!" Snake yelled, firing his missiles and throwing his grenades against the possessed blue speedster. The Sonic Primary quickly grabbed ahold of the mercenary and tossed him right at Joker, who quickly pulled off his mask to unleash Arsene by his side. Not even the Phantom Thief combined with his main Persona could pull this off as he succumbed to the Sonic Primary's powerful spindashes, which generated blue streaks of electricity as he moved around. Kirby tried swinging his flaming mallet at the moving speed demon, but all the pink puffball did was swing and miss. Link and Toon Link both tried to run up to the Master Sword, but they were stopped by some sort of invisible gateway that did not reveal itself until they ran into it.

"Somebody's going to have to go and snap our buddy out of Dharkon's control!" Captain Falcon told his friends, trying to block Sonic's speedy attacks with his lightning-quick reflexes. Mario jumped on top of the captured fighter, throwing the Sonic Primary onto his feet and grabbing the hedgehog's hands while pushing.

"Sonic-a!" Mario called out. "If you're in there, you need to fight back!" The Sonic Primary did not listen as usual and flew out of the red plumber's grasp. The captured fighter then levitated in the air, squeezing his fist and choking Mario with his telekinesis. Fox McCloud flashed blue between the possessed hedgehog's body and landed next to Mario, pointing his blaster at the captured fighter's head. The Sonic Primary threw Mario onto the ground and let the red plumber go, charging up some sort of special ability as the Smashers pounced at him. The captured fighter pushed all of the Group A teammates with his telekinesis and created some sort of forcefield around himself, trapping Fox in.

The fighters banged their fists on the barrier, crying for Fox to be safe. The Star Fox mercenary turned around to see the Sonic Primary approaching him, the captured fighter twisting his own neck and cracking the bones. The green telekinesis ability of his surrounded the Sonic Primary, still overshadowed by his red aura of the Dharkon Lock.

"I suppose you don't want to take this lightly," Fox responded, his own body heating up with literal flames. The Star Fox mercenary dashed towards the captured fighter and attempted to burn his opponent, but he could only watch as the Sonic Primary simply jumped above and kick him from behind. Fox quickly rolled into his knees and grabbed the hedgehog's legs, throwing the captured fighter into the ground. The two anthropomorphic fighters began kicking and punching each other, their jabs connecting time and time again. Fox then started tackling the Sonic Primary, pinning the captured fighter to the ground and punching him in the face. The Sonic Primary kicked Fox off, his arms glowing with the telekinesis powers of his.

The Sonic Primary started lifting up rocks both big and small and began throwing them at Fox. The anthropomorphic mercenary dashed towards the captured fighter, kicking the smaller rocks until they crumbled into dust and using his blue flash trick to dodge the larger boulders with the remnants hitting the sides of the barrier. Once Fox got in the right position, he coated himself in flames and flew right at the Sonic Primary, tossing the captured fighter into the stone floor. The blue hedgehog groaned in pain, looking up to see Fox land right in front of him.

The possessed Smasher jumped up high and landed with a deep thud, spindashing right into McCloud. The Star Fox mercenary felt the electricity of the rolling blue hedgehog spiral through his fingertips as he just dodged the attack, amazed by the captured fighter's destructive nature. The Sonic Primary then stopped and started attacking Fox with more kicking. Fox started blocking these kinds of attacks with powerful jabs, pulling out his reflector and stunning the captured fighter. Fox then zipped behind the blue hedgehog with his blue flash ability, ready to fire his blaster at the back of the captured fighter's head. However, the Sonic Primary sensed what was going to happen and quickly grabbed Fox by the neck with his telekinesis, forcing him to drop the blaster so the captured fighter could reach for it.

"No… you… don't!" Fox groaned, gasping for breath and struggling as the Sonic Primary reached down for his weapon. The Star Fox mercenary quickly wrapped his legs around the captured fighter's neck, squeezing the Primary tightly with his femurs. This managed to stop the Sonic Primary from choking the Star Fox leader. Fox quickly held on tightly to the Sonic Primary, pushing both the captured fighter and himself to the ground. As the two anthropomorphic fighters both struggled to reach for the weapon, Fox managed to head-butt the Sonic Primary and grab his blaster in time. The Star Fox mercenary then kicked the Sonic Primary in the stomach and fire a clean shot at the captured fighter's head. As the possessed body of Sonic the Hedgehog succumbed to the laser fire from the sweating, panting anthropomorphic fox, the telekinesis barrier dropped, and the fighters ran towards Fox in worry of his safety.

* * *

Somewhere, in an unknown area, there was a limp hand that looked familiar to Sonic's. It was held up in black, spiky chains, though the place was so black no one can figure out who it was. The arm started glowing in flashing colors of golden and violet, and the rest of the body was creating a silhouette of Sonic. The rainbow aura of his Fighter Spirit overwhelmed the silhouette, with the blackened chains dissolving. The silhouette escaped, flying faster than the speed of light in the blink of an eye. It is currently unknown what Sonic's Fighter Spirit was doing here, but somehow his freedom of his body released him from his shackles.

* * *

The fighters back at the large temple waited for the dust to clear, hoping they can find Sonic in time. Kirby then noticed the Silver the Hedgehog Spirit and the shattered fragments of the Dharkon Lock emerge from the rubble. Just then, the peculiar-looking Spirit entered the temple and fused himself back to Sonic's body, flashing rainbow colors for the other Smashers to see. As the fighters were blinded by the light enveloping literally the entire land of Hyrule, Kirby felt the red mist and Silver Spirit enter his body. The pink puffball's eyes started glowing red again, and he stiffened as he was taken to yet another vision.

* * *

Kirby tried adjusting his vision and seeing a mountain right in front of him. To be fair, the world of Arcus' was literally a starless night, so it was not the easiest thing to do. Thankfully, two torches on both sides of the cave ignited their flames, letting the other dragons that escaped from Dharkon to enter the cave just at the foot. While the surviving civilians of Arcus entered the cave, Ultima arrived in time. She was followed by Galeem who was carrying his brother's egg, and his wife Medley who walked on foot with Sozo while she kept her egg in her pouch.

"Well, here we are," Ultima told her brother and close companions. "We've found the Cave of the Ancients, birthplace of our ancestors and Lord Ceresor's first descendant. This will surely be the perfect spot to hide from Phoenix and his Crazy Hand army… I hope…" The four dragons entered inside the cave, watching the torches douse out as the last remaining dragons entered the shelter. The Dragosmos that escaped sat up on their back legs, lifting up the earth to block the cave entrance and cover it with vegetation for camouflage. An elderly female Eastern dragon noticed Galeem struggling with carrying the egg of Inkereign, and gave him a holding pouch out of generosity.

"If you want to keep your children safe, take them to the nursery here," the old serpent spoke.

"I'll take Glimmeress and Inkereign there," Ultima responded, helping Galeem slip his brother's egg into the pouch. The Queen of Arcus then pulled the other pouch with Glimmeress off the egg's mother and slipped it onto herself.

"Sozo. Galeem. Keep a good watch over the survivors. Attend to their wounds if you have to," Ultima told them as she headed to the nursery, with a golem-shaped dragon pointing her the way. The Queen of Arcus then entered the part of the Cave of the Ancients where she heard younger dragons crying. Few of them had their mother, father, or very rarely both to comfort them since most of these dragonlings were orphaned by the massacre caused by Dharkon.

As Ultima looked around, taking care not to step on any of the children, she managed to find an empty nest to place the unhatched eggs in. All of the other nests were packed with several wounded dragonlings, many even traumatized from the events. Ultima carefully placed the eggs of Glimmeress and Inkereign into the nest, grabbing the pouches with her bag and sliding them off. She leaned close to the two eggs and warmed them with her breath, trying to incubate them as she could feel their healthy heartbeats.

"You're… stepping in our nest," a young voice spoke behind Ultima. The spectrum-winged dragoness turned around to see two dragons both the size of her front leg, battered and bruised. The child that spoke was a female, pink dragon, her horns and tail shaped like heart tips, her scales shaped like flower petals, and the patterns on her wings reminiscent of butterflies. By her side was a male dragon younger than her, gnawing on a woolen sock puppet as though he was teething, even though his teeth already came in. His plastic eyes were rather peculiar, wobbling around as though he could not see straight. His dirty claws were constantly digging through the ground, kicking up dust all over his paws. His scales and wings all had the texture of wool, with his entire body colored a deep teal and his horns and wings a vibrant blue.

"Come again?" Ultima asked, noticing the two children wounded from the attack.

"You're… stepping in our nest," the pink dragon child repeated, her right front claws fondling the dirt.

"I'm sorry, but these two eggs need it more than you do," Ultima responded, trying not to make herself feel bad.

"We lost our mommy and daddy," the pink dragon slurred, her wing stroking the back of her mentally retarded brother. "We lost our… mommy and daddy…"

"I lost my mommy and daddy too," Ultima responded, feeling sorry for these poor kids. "My name is Ultima, the Queen of Arcus… or what remains of Arcus anyway…"

"I… I… My name is Josei, and this is my brother Ningyo," the pink dragon stuttered. "I have atypical autism, and Ningyo is suffering from a mental birth defect. The other dragons bully us at school for our disabilities…" Ultima sat down in front of the two dragons, feeling rather sorry for these two children.

"The bad guys… smashed all of the eggs," Josei wept. "They… got our baby brother and sister… Mommy and Daddy told us to leave and we escaped. We… We miss them." The pink dragon child wept into Ultima's chest, with Ningyo unable to feel emotions although he can understand them, stopping with gnawing on his sock puppet.

"We can end this… together," Ultima responded, patting Josei's back. "Your differences make you unique. No one can take that away from you, and they cannot even force change upon those who embrace it. If you like, you can show these kids that you're better by taking care of these eggs here… Can you do that?" Josei backed away from the Queen of Arcus and helped pull Ningyo's hand away from his face just as he was about to bite himself with the sock puppet.

"We'll do it," Josei answered, keeping her wings exposed. "We'll do it for Arcus and for our family."

"That's the spirit," Ultima cheered, smiling. As Kirby continued to listen to the cries of the other dragonlings, the environment started dissolving into black, and Kirby was transported back into the Sacred Land of Hyrule.

* * *

"Don't ever go black on me!" Pit cried, hugging the waking pink puffball tightly. Kirby squirmed out of the angel's arms, looking at the rubble surrounding the temple. Joker and Ireburn walked up next to the alien, comforting him.

"Terrible, we know," the Phantom Thief sighed. Kirby then noticed a glowing body found in the debris right where the Sonic Primary was defeated.

"Well this is new," Fox McCloud noted, walking towards the illuminating hedgehog. The fighters gathered around the friend that they had rescued, watching as Sonic's body flashed in a rainbow of colors, his aura spreading throughout Hyrule. Who the Smashers shielded their eyes from the intense light, Kirby noticed fire within the red, rocks within the orange, lightning within the yellow, leaves within the green, air gusts within the blue, water within the indigo, and magical stars within the violet. After the light shone its brightest, the sky reverted back to its dark gray color, and the unconscious body of Sonic slowly floated towards the temple floor. Fox ran up to the blue hedgehog in time, but what he saw surprised him.

On the speedy devil's face were two glowing scars: one of Dharkon's violet on the right side of Sonic's face, and the other of Galeem's golden on his left. Both scars were equally symmetrical, running vertically from the bases of his ears down to the tops of his cheeks. This was never revealed even when they fought against the captured fighter. The Star Fox leader placed his hand on Sonic's chest, feeling the slow heartbeat within.

"What happened to him?" Little Mac asked, concerned about the hedgehog.

"He's broken physically, that's what," Zero Suit Samus responded. "We need to take him to a village. Stat." Mario, worried about his closest friend's safety after ten years of being isolated from Sonic, looked down to the bottom-left of the temple, spotting Kakariko Village next to the somehow-extinct volcano of Goron Mountain.

"We can take him down there," Mario answered, looking back at his companions. "Follow me." The red plumber walked down the narrow path to the village. Fox carried Sonic's unconscious body for the rest of the trip, with the rest of their teammates traveling in a single-file line.

Once the fighters arrived in the village, they found it to be inhabited by Normal Novice Spirits of Koroks. There were a few human and Hylian Spirits around, although some of them were of the Advanced class, Normal or Master. One Korok, Hestu, was glad enough to take the fighters into his own little house and attend to Sonic's wounds from the intense battle and aftermath.

While the other Smashers waited in Hestu's living room, Fox McCloud sat on an empty bed and hesitantly watched the big Korok wet Sonic's head with a damp towel. Unlike the other fighters, including Mario, Fox felt something special about the blue hedgehog, something that not even the red plumber could reach to. It was almost as though Fox was forced to become a guardian to Sonic in the darkest of times… a parent, even. As the towel Hestu was using was starting to cool down, Sonic the Hedgehog opened his eyes for the first time in twenty years. His eyes searched throughout the strange room he woke up in, and he looked around to see two strange figures around him.

"I am so glad you're safe," Fox sighed, approaching the blue hedgehog. "We all were…" However, just as the Star Fox leader was about to touch Sonic's hand, the scarred speedster quickly acted. The blue devil kicked Fox right in the stomach, not out of anger but out of fear. As the Star Fox mercenary tried to keep his balance by grabbing onto a small table, he saw something unusual happen to the teenage pal he once knew.

The blue hedgehog's fists started glowing red with fire, generating powerful pyro blasts from his fingers. As he was doing that, the blue hedgehog's own body was glitching like crazy. Unaware of what was happening to him, Sonic generated a peculiar kind of electricity around his body and zapped himself out of the room faster than the speed of light.

The other Smashers were shocked once they heard the door to the bedroom shatter from a large gust of wind, splinters flying everywhere. Sonic instantly stopped in place, afraid of where he was and what kind of powers he had.

"Sonic!" the Wii Fit Trainer said with a cheerful heart. "You're finally speeding around the hou-" Sonic suddenly created a powerful magic blast that destroyed the entire house out of his insecurities, trying to run away from where he woke up in. As Fox climbed out of the rubble, he caught Sonic speeding lightning-fast to the center of the town only to clench his chest in pain from the severe glitch that stunned his body. The Star Fox mercenary saw this as a chance to run up to the blue hedgehog and pin him to the ground.

"G-G-G-Get away from me!" Sonic snarled, glitching himself out of Fox's grasp as he tried to crawl away.

"Sonic, don't you recognize us?" Fox asked, worried about the hedgehog's safety.

"…Who's Sonic?" the speedster asked, his hands glitching mildly. Fox became shocked as soon as he heard those words. While Sonic was sitting down, his legs spread out, the Star Fox mercenary now saw those mismatched irises of the blue speedster instead of the emerald-green eyes he once had. For the right side, he had a violet eye, but his left eye had a golden eyes, with both of them matching the colors of the scars on each side of the hedgehog's face. Fox started to get a feeling of worry, a feeling of guilt. Now that Sonic was asking who was his own name, those feelings clicked.

The rest of Group A met up with Fox in time. As soon as they arrived, the anthropomorphic star pilot got down onto his knees, his eyes starting to feel wetter.

"He doesn't remember his own name," Fox whispered, shaking his own head.

"That's ridiculous-a!" Mario objected, turning towards the glitching blue hedgehog. "You at least remember us, right?" Sonic simply stared at them, looking utterly confused.

"…Who are you people?" Sonic asked, his right-violet and left-golden eyes gazing upon the companions he no longer recognized.

"Sonic… it's us," Mega Man convinced, holding out his metallic hand. Kirby was filled up with sadness and pain for what happened to Sonic. As soon as the blue hedgehog asked his own questions, the fighters recognized what their friend has changed into. A glitching, blue-spine warrior with eyes each the exact same color as his scars with the literal abilities of a Dragosmo now remains of what once was the cocky teenage hedgehog that rolled around at the speed of sound. To make matters even worse, Sonic has now forgotten all of his friends, what happened before and after the encounter with Galeem, and any remembrance of his past, even his own name.

"Oh… geez," Mario responded. "None of us wanted this to happen…" As soon as the red plumber slowly approached the Sonic, the blue hedgehog glitched out of control.

"No! St-St-St-St-St-Stay away from me!" Sonic exclaimed, trying to back off with the glitch infecting his body, holding him down to the point that he cannot get away. Instead, all he could do was generate pebbles from his hands out of thin air and try to pelt the friends he no longer recognized with those tiny stones. Shortly after, once the blue hedgehog infected with amnesia stood on his feet, he created gigantic icicles around himself out of nowhere and threw them at the fighters who rescued him. However, the glitch infecting his body combined with the overuse of his powers caused Sonic to waste all his energy and fall like a ragdoll to the ground, converting all the icicles he threw into water that splashed upon the fighters in the process.

As time had passed, Group A had just managed to find another house from the permission of another Korok Spirit, where Sonic the Hedgehog was placed in a bed.

"This is terrible," Fox told Mario and the gang. "Our old buddy Sonic can't remember us anymore. This doesn't happen to any of us…"

"Well, he was responsible for sending Kirby back in time. You could cut him some slack…" Mario answered.

"Not funny, dumbass," Zero Suit Samus responded, her arms folded across her chest. The Incineroar started grunting in his own language, with Mega Man providing the translation due to his robotic abilities.

"Incineroar's saying that when Dharkon took over, he managed to capture the Fighter Spirits of the remaining Primaries, and they all escaped except for Sonic," Mega Man translated. "Somehow, Dharkon must know a way to interact with Spirits, even…"

"Change and alter their chemistry both physically and mentally?" Fox finished in the form of a question.

"Exactly," Mega Man replied. "Somehow, that glitch is torturing the poor hedgehog, and we need to get him out of it."

"Maybe we can find answers of how and why this happened, and still is happening, if we head to the Lost Woods," Link remarked. "My Sheikah Slate can't even make sense of what happened to Sonic, and it's going to be hard to kickstart Sonic's memory. It took him ten years for the blue speedster to help us remember who were are. And we will do the same to him, even if it takes another ten."

"…Then it's settled," Mario spoke. "We head to the Lost Woods for clues to bring back Sonic. Until then, he's staying here in Kakariko Village. For the time being, he's considered too dangerous for the unusual powers he's carrying, and surely any enemy can find use of him if he travels with us…"

"I'll stay with him," Fox told the team. "Your job is to complete the Triforce at the Temple of the Master Sword. My job is to protect Sonic at all costs." Mario patted the Star Fox mercenary's shoulder, his head bowing down.

"I know you'll prove to be a better friend than I was," Mario said, watching the Pokémon Trainer, the Inkling, the Ice Climbers, Villager, Sheik, Mr. Game & Watch, PAC-MAN, and all their friends walk out of the house, ready to head to the Lost Woods. "Do your best to bring our dear buddy Sonic…"

"Mario!" Popo called out. "We're waiting!" The red plumber adjusted his cap, journeying out the door. Fox McCloud looked back at Sonic, who was resting in bed while being attended by a Korok Spirit. The anthropomorphic mercenary walked up to the sleeping hedgehog, the back of his hand rubbing the left side of Sonic's face as it glitched again.

"What ever happened to you?" Fox whispered. "…What ever happened to you?"

* * *

While the fighters took the stone path from the temple to the Lost Woods, Mario looked back on the Kakariko Village. His heart began beating faster in the pain of reverence, unable to accept the fact that his own friendly rival had forgotten everything… even how he became that way in the first place.


	64. Pt 64: The Bear and his Bird

In the darkness of the Dharkon Void, the arm that was chained up before was connected to Sonic the Hedgehog… or his Fighter Spirit anyway. The transparent blue speedster with the rainbow aura groaned as he shook his head, feeling that he cannot move. He was confined in an "X" position, with his arms and legs held in place by black chains tightly wrapped around his wrists and ankles. He wasn't sporting the violet scar on his right eye, meaning it still had the emerald green as always. However, the scar covering the left side of his eye changes the iris color of the left eye entirely, turning it into the golden light of Galeem.

"Finally," Dharkon's voice spoke, echoing throughout the darkness. "How nice of you to finally wake up…" The deep booming noise emerged when Dharkon opened his eyes, his tentacles slithering around the chained-up Spirit of the hedgehog.

"Dharkon!" Sonic groaned, struggling to break free. "You're the one responsible for Galeem's capture!"

"That lifeless husk of a Lord of Light? Please…" Dharkon responded. "I had been waiting in my prison for five years and have now escaped from it, bringing my world along with me…" Sonic's real body appeared next to the Seraph of Chaos in the form of Dharkon's Primary. As Sonic noticed his own body moving freely, he saw Silver the Hedgehog was the Spirit possessing his body.

"Thank goodness, Silver," Sonic sighed with relief. "You're here to save me. Quick. Use your telekinesis to remove these-"

"I'm sorry, Sonic," Silver answered. "We have no choice but to submit ourselves…"

"That is my answer," Dharkon responded, looking at the Sonic Primary. "Head to the Sacred Land. Prevent any intruders from breaking in."

"Yes, O Master of Darkness," the Sonic Primary responded, walking into the shadows and leaving Dharkon with Sonic's Fighter Spirit.

"You are rather unique from your friends," Dharkon noted, looming in closer at the confined hedgehog. "You were not kidding when you told the pink alien child to reawaken the Ragnarokk and save everyone, including yourself, through a made-up prophecy."

"There was nowhere to go," Sonic responded. "I would have rather died than sacrifice Kirby for my own memories…"

"Oh, yes. Your memories. I see how you managed to survive all these years," Dharkon sinisterly growled. The Lord of Darkness then noticed the scar on Sonic's left eye, inheriting the blue hedgehog a golden iris behind that scar.

"I see that my brother has left his mark on you," Dharkon chuckled, his shadowy black hand reaching out from the Lord of Darkness's eye. "Let us fix that…" Sonic gasped in pain as Dharkon traced another scratch on his face, this time on the right eye. The blue hedgehog gritted his teeth as he felt his swollen eye bleed with a glowing violet. He wanted to clasp his hands over his face and stop the intense suffering, but he was chained up nonetheless. The bleeding quickly stopped, and Sonic opened up his right eye. What remained of his emerald green orbs now remains the violet of Dharkon's raw power. All that Sonic had in his eyes were mismatching colors of darkness and light, side by side.

"Perfectly symmetrical," Dharkon growled, his black humanoid structure reaching out from his blue eye. The Seraph of Chaos placed his hand underneath the hedgehog's chin, looking at the new face of Sonic.

"I suppose I would kill you now, but where would that leave me without the ultimate lifeform? A perfect super soldier? My greatest creation?" Dharkon gazed at the captured hedgehog, his tendrils grinding in a strange friction against each other.

"If you really want be set free, accept that I am your lord, and kill those who dare stand a threat to us…" Dharkon told Sonic. The Fighter Spirit simply spat in the Seraph of Chaos's eye, refusing to take orders from a monster like Dharkon. The Lord of Darkness backed away from the confined speedster, blinking rapidly as to get the saliva out of him. Once things seemed to calm down for him, Dharkon levitated towards the poor hedgehog.

"Cocky and stubborn as usual, always running headfirst into conflict," Dharkon laughed inwardly. "Suppose you can save yourself from the experiment."

"Experiment…?" Sonic asked. Whatever the Lord of Darkness was going to do to the blue hedgehog, none of those words sounded good. Arriving behind Dharkon were the Mewtwo, Incineroar, and Ganondorf Primaries, each one of them carrying strange vessels. The Mewtwo Primary was carrying a capsule with glitching particles, the Incineroar Primary carefully held a bowl of a mercury, and the Ganondorf Primary held the most important ingredient of all: the bones of the first Arcusian dragon ground up into powder.

"According to legend, the skeleton of a dragon born in Arcus unlocks all the hidden potential to become a Dragosmo, the highest form of a mortal closest to the Almighty Father in their tongue," Dharkon explained while the three Primaries opened the capsules and poured the ground-up bone powder and the glitch with the mercury. "With seven Rainbolements, they can harness the abilities of fire, earth, thunder, life, air, water, and magic all at the same time. Before they had discovered stones that gave them these elementals, they feasted on the bones of their ancestors, believing them to be sources of this kind of power. However, they would not devour the first of their entire species for fear of becoming too greedy in its destructive and violent nature. They feared that whoever controls one who feasts on the bones controls the universe and many other universes out there. Now… I see you as the one to control…"

"Wait-wait-wait!" Sonic objected, trying to break free from his black chains. "I'm the fastest thing alive! You can't do this to me! I'm not ready to be your soulless servant!" Shifting the mixture in the pan of mercury, the Incineroar Primary offered it to Dharkon, who grabbed the metal pan with his tentacles. Carefully applying one quarter of the entire batch to each of the tips, Sonic's transformed eyes widened in fear as he looks at the shinier mixture.

"Oh no, it's the Metal Virus!" Sonic gasped, feeling signs of trauma from a familiar sort of liquid. "I had to deal with an epidemic of Zombots on my home planet before a cure had been found! You're not gonna change me again!"

"It is not the virus you feared before," Dharkon responded in his usually calm voice. "It is something… much, much worse…"

"It's not gonna work on me this time, Dharkon!" Sonic snarled, growling underneath his breath and biting at the Lord of Darkness. "You won't change me!" The four coated tentacles shot deep into the hedgehog's wrists and ankles, injecting him with the mercury mixture.

"The ground bones to inherit the most destructive nature of the Rainbolements, the glitch to boost you to your strongest form, and the mercury to help spread both of these key ingredients throughout your body quite easily," Dharkon responded. Shots of pain began spiraling out from the hedgehog's limbs to the rest of his body, changing him in ways you cannot imagine. Sonic wailed from the intense torture from the mixture mixed within his flesh, with his clothed hands and feet stained in blood from where Dharkon injected the poison. This was rather strange since Spirits are not intended to bleed. Regardless, the mercury, glitch, and bone powder started to mess with Sonic's mind.

Sonic tried to escape from the brutal infliction the poison was doing to him, attempting to claw his way out of the black chains. He began to cry and scream from the fate of nightmares that will traumatize him for life. He jerked his head back and forth while Dharkon and his only few Primaries simply watched. The pupils on the blue hedgehog's eyes shrunk as he was feeling the tormenting horror of being transformed into a monster course through his popping veins. Sonic's screams were drowned out by the coughing of blood, a few streams flowing down his stomach and dripping all the way down the bottomless abyss below him.

"You can run multiple times faster than the strongest ships built by man, and yet you cannot escape fate," Zavok's voice spoke from the Incineroar Primary. Sonic's Fighter Spirit was seeing things the more the mercury mixture spiraled into his brain, with the glitch reaching out to the hedgehog's skin and warping it in its twisted power. From what he saw, the Incineroar Primary twisted his body until he became the splitting image of the buff, red Zeti.

"A thousand times worse than what you went through on the Death Egg Prison, isn't it?" Infinite's voice echoed from the Mewtwo Primary, who slowly transformed into the masked jackal. Sonic slowly moved his eyes to the captured fighter, his wrists and ankles still stained with the tainted blood. He nailed his jawbone to his upper teeth, trying to hold in his cries for help. As the glitch was slithering around his hands and feet, blinking in and out of existence, the blue hedgehog began to cough up more blood, his heart beating faster and pumping up more blood to his brain and making him feel as though he was going to spontaneously combust. He was breathing rapidly as he could only look at the Ganondorf Primary, whose body simply dropped to the ground. Unlike the other two hallucinations, the Mephiles Spirit emerging from the Gerudo King's body was real.

"You cannot hold it back, can you?" Mephiles asked, his crystalline face close to the suffering hedgehog Spirit. "What Dharkon can do is beyond anything you can imagine. Go ahead and release all your agony. Cry for salvation. Because there is none here. All your friends have abandoned you. There is no light within the darkness. Nothing but despair remains, and you are going to suffer like the poor souls that did on this ancient planet!" Sonic roared in pain, his cries of anguish and defeat bubbling higher to the surface of blood pooling in his mouth until his throat got sore. His scars began to glow brighter as a new kind of warmth was overtaking him. His blue quills straightened upright when one last pulse of mercury blasted through his internal organs, weakening the poor hedgehog to the point that he can no longer control keeping his eyelids open for much longer.

"…Dharkon… when I break free from my prison, I swear I will get you for this!" Sonic growled, his body starting to glitch more like crazy as the poison flowed through his arteries.

"Do not even bother," Dharkon chuckled, floating away from the confined blue hedgehog. "Five years from now, the transformation will be complete, and you will be hanging there until then. Within a fortnight, the glitch will remove whatever love and compassion you shared with the Super Smash Brothers during these years. For the time being, enjoy what little you have left, for you will be forced to rot here until you forget everything… even your own name…" As the poison melded itself into Sonic's mind, the blue hedgehog started to see nothing but multiple colors of the Rainbolements, frightened by the glitch overlapping his memory. With one more flash of the mercury mixture buzzing through his skull, Sonic the Hedgehog quickly woke up, gasping as he tossed off bedsheets.

The blue speedster was panting like crazy, sweat dripping off every pore from his furry body. His heart was pounding in his chest, his breathing hard and fast. He placed his left hand on his face, rubbing it across his face. He knew what he saw in that nightmare. The torture, the pain, the agony, the bloody screams from his own lungs, and those eyes. Those violet pairs of eyes accompanied by a larger, blue eye with a golden slit iris. That all never happened… right?

"Trouble sleeping?" Fox asked. Sonic quickly turned his neck towards the Star Fox leader, who was sitting on another bed next to him. Ever since the blue blur had passed out, Fox took it under his responsibility to look after the fighter they had just rescued. Sonic himself, however, did not take that lightly.

"I warned you to stay away from me!" Sonic growled, his gloved hands coated with electricity. He fired charged blasts at the Star Fox leader, but he quickly managed to duck in time just to see Sonic tumble out of the bed. The blue hedgehog then felt the glitch spaz out through his body, stunning him again. Fox McCloud quickly jumped over the bed Sonic was resting in just to see his friend crawl and cower into a corner.

The blue hedgehog curled up into a ball, trembling in fear. He held his hands over his face, streams of tears dripping from his scarred eyes. Sonic hated tears before, and he never wanted to see anyone cry. Sometimes, the blue hedgehog often cried when he wanted to act tough like his mother said so, but now Fox saw the truth. The speedy devil reduced to this state was exposed at his weakest. His hidden emotions that were hidden before finally appeared just from the hedgehog's expressions, and he could not understand why.

"I don't know who I am," Sonic whispered, gasping in his sobs as he glitched again. "I can't remember a thing about myself…" Sonic then looked at the anthropomorphic mercenary, his seven elemental powers flickering between his gloved fingers.

"Your name is Ogilvie Maurice Needlemouse, son of Queen Aleena of Christmas Island on the planet Mobius and brother of Sonia and Manic," Fox McCloud answered. "You were always busy rescuing the planet from the evil scientist Dr. Eggman and his robot armies with the help of your animal friends, calling yourself Sonic the Hedgehog. You may not know me for the time being, but my name is Fox McCloud, leader of Star Fox and defender of the Lylat System." Sonic simply looked away, still crouching in fear. The hedgehog's tears dripped onto the wooden floor, and Fox noticed it very well.

"Please tell me what I saw wasn't real," Sonic whispered, slowly looking back on his peculiar fox friend. For some reason, he was starting to feel comfortable with the mercenary even though they had just met… almost as if he had known this adult before. The speedster slowly uncurled himself and kept his balance, finding it rather difficult to do so as he glitched again.

"I dunno what you went through for Dharkon to give you the Rainbolements and your amnesia, but it sure felt that way," Fox responded. "The rest of our buddies are off at the Lost Woods, trying to complete the Triforce in this sub-area."

"…Lost Woods?" Sonic asked, his triangle ears perking up in curiosity. "Triforce? Where am I?"

"We're in Kakariko Village just at the southwest of the Sacred Land found in Draxia, the World of Darkness," Fox responded. "You were out cold for ten years along with the rest of our friends, dreaming to be rescued. We didn't get the chance to save you in time. But it's alright. We won't make the same mistake again…" The amnesiac hedgehog slowly walked up to the Star Fox mercenary, flinching a bit from the glitch infecting his body. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Sonic sat down next to the older anthropomorphic fighter of the two, trying to make contact.

"What do we do now…?" Sonic asked, trying to decrease the flames on his fingertips. "Simply telling me my past isn't going to click in me. I need to find evidence of what I did years ago. If what you say is true about the nightmare I had, well… I guess we need to go after this Dharkon person right away."

"Atta boy," Fox McCloud cheerfully responded, rubbing the blue hedgehog's head and making it rather frizzy. "We can take a look around the town, see what we can find. Follow me." The mercenary got up from the bed, with the new and improved Sonic following after him. Once the two fighters walked outside of the house, they traveled through the village for a while.

"Fox… Was I someone else before I got these… powers?" Sonic asked, glitching as he turned his head towards the Star Fox mercenary.

"Oh yeah," Fox answered honestly. "You were the best out of all of us. You escaped the clutches of the Hands when we could not… Now I understand why Dharkon thinks you're special, therefore changing you into what you are now." Sonic sighed, touching the scar on the right side of his face and feeling how deep it cut. When Fox looked at the blue hedgehog fondling with his wounds, it reminded the mercenary of Wolf O' Donnell in a way. As things seemed to have calmed down, Sonic noticed an unlit quartz torch right next to him. Then, there was another torch, then another, and another, until he noticed two circles of unlit torches in the center of the town: twelve torches circling the outside and twelve more tightly packed together inside.

"Were those torches always there before?" Sonic asked. Fox noticed the circles of torches too, curious of what they were doing here.

"I have no idea," Fox answered. "I think it would be insane to light them at this point..." As Fox stepped back, he pressed his wrist on an Owl Statue right behind him, triggering some sort of effect.

 _Light the torches, they tell the time_

 _With the hour of midnight and the minute worth a dime_

Fox heard the Owl Statue speak in a riddle and rhyme, confused by what this strange being said. Sonic had no idea either, even if he wasn't diagnosed with amnesia.

"What did that thing say again?" Sonic asked. Fox slowly approached the Owl Statue again, tapping its base. Then, it spoke the riddle again.

 _Light the torches, they tell the time_

 _With the hour of midnight and the minute worth a dime_

"…The hell does that mean!?" Fox asked. "Minute worth a dime? How does this make sense?"

"Well, that petrified bird said to light the torches," Sonic responded. The blue hedgehog decided to test a little something. Using a little control of his powers, the glitching speedster ignited his hands with the Fire Rainbolement, trying to throw a simple fireball into one of the torches. It managed to land, and the torch the fireball landed in ignited in a blue flame. Sonic threw another fireball in a different torch in the same circle and igniting it. The fire in the previous torch went out as a result. While Fox was befuddled by this riddle, he noticed the blue hedgehog throwing fireballs into different torches, with the outer circle in blue flames and the inner circle in red.

"Maybe lighting the torches in different patterns might give us an answer?" Sonic asked, turning towards Fox. "There are 144 ways for me to uncover more about my past and maybe even rescue your- I mean… our friends in the process." Fox liked the little attitude coming back to the glitching hedgehog, and the Star Fox mercenary held out his fist.

"It's a fist bump," Fox told the blue hedgehog. "You do this all the time with us." Sonic slowly raised his curled-up fist, his gloved knuckles touching Fox's. The Star Fox mercenary then ran towards the torches, igniting his body in flames.

Sonic watched as Fox began lighting up the torches, trying to see what the Owl Statue meant by the riddle. Eventually, the Star Fox mercenary felt the ground shaking as soon as he landed, meaning he could have done something to trigger the torches. Emerging from the ground right at Sonic's feet was a small stairway. At the very top, looking down upon the two anthropomorphic fighters, was the Mii Brawler Primary. The captured fighter jumped off the stairway before it vanishes into the ground, doing flips in midair.

"Who is that?" Sonic asked.

"It's a Mii Fighter," Fox explained, pointing his blaster at the Mii Brawler Primary. "There are three classes in which Miis can be divided into: Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner. Each class has an Ultimate – a kind of chief – that leads and commands them, and sometimes they can add nicknames like the Wise to identify them from their heritage. Here we've found the Mii Brawler Ultimate Reborn."

"But why are you being so hostile towards him?" Sonic asked, unaware of what was going on as of what happened to him.

"Because he's a Primary," Fox responded. "In this world, Spirits are cast as Normal and Masters and are split into Novice, Advanced, Ace, and Legendary. Normals interact with physical objects at will and Masters are more powerful but require a vessel. The most powerful Spirits are Master Legendries, and they are the only one that can possess a fighter. Through a special Lock, the fighter can be cloned into Supporters."

"Shove it with that excuse of an information dump!" the Mii Brawler Primary growled, lightning generating from the captured fighter's fists. A partisan appeared in the Primary's hands, flashing with electricity.

"Never double-cross with the brave warrior of Zan Partizanne!" the Mii Brawler Primary yelled in a different voice, that which belonged to the Master Legendary Spirit of a Mage Sister that had straightened, yellow hair with square bangs and amber eyes that sparkled with electricity.

"Hey! We were just minding our own business!" Fox growled. "You better choose your next words carefully because I've got a badass-looking space gun here." The Mii Brawler Primary looked over at Sonic the Hedgehog, who was utterly confused by what was going on.

"So you are the glitch that escaped," the captured fighter responded. "Dharkon found it best to neutralize you and take you back to his little void." In Sonic's mind, he began to see the images from his nightmare, scattered throughout different points by the glitch infecting his body. The blue hedgehog cleared his mind, not having enough time to react as the Mii Brawler Primary began to thrust her weapon at him. Fox managed to grab Sonic and leap out of the lightning strike, pointing his blaster aimed straight for the Primary's face.

"What is going on right now!?" Sonic asked, glitching like crazy.

"I have no idea," Fox answered, ready to fire. "Whatever they want, it probably involves you." The Mii Brawler Primary twirled the partisan in his hands, ready to unleash a thundercloud above the two anthropomorphic fighters. Suddenly, just as she was about to release it, something wet and slimy hit her from behind. Because the mucus provided a good circuit for electricity, the captured fighter was stunned. Once the Mii Brawler Primary rubbed the back of her head, he pulled it out to see egg yolk mixed in with the clear whites and blue shell pieces. Before the captured fighter knew what happened next, he was sent flying after a massive impact on his back into Kakariko Village. Both Fox and Sonic noticed the figure that hit the Mii Brawler Primary… or two figures, to be precise.

There was a tall, bipedal bear with blue eyes and a large nose, walking around barefoot with yellow pants held by a black belt. He wore a necklace with a shark's tooth and a blue backpack, one that he put back the second companion with him for he had just swung her by the legs against the Primary's back. Now resting in the blue backpack of the bear was an orange bird with yellow feathers at her wings, sporting a triangular yellow beak and green eyes.

"Thought you two critters could use some help," the bear spoke with a cheerful and confident voice.

"Not really," the bird responded with a cocky but friendly tone, fluffing her feathers. "My friend here heard you two fighting with a Primary and thought it would be a great idea to charge in without a plan-" Before the bird was about to finish, lightning struck from the village, but the bear quickly moved away in time.

"You two could quit arguing and help, y'know," Fox responded, both he and Sonic running towards the Mii Brawler Primary that had emerged from some of the destroyed houses, his weapon fully charged. The bear quickly ran after the captured fighter too, with the bird inside the backpack pulling out her legs, twisting her body until the bear was lying on her back, and speeding off while coughing up the blue eggs.

Fox began glowing blue and launched the Mii Brawler Primary upward, slapping the captured fighter with his bushy tail. The Primary warped himself into the air, sending out small thunderclouds after the blue hedgehog. Sonic gasped as he dashed out of the way, unleashing bursts of water, as he knew liquids will stun the Primary, at the captured fighter. The possessed Mii Fighter dropped his weapon and fell to the ground, dazed out as Fox rapidly kicked the Primary's face. The captured fighter began punching and blocking the Fox's rapid attacks, and he quickly zapped Fox and stunned the mercenary. The bear and the bird caught up in time, and the bird quickly laid an egg-shaped grenade from the bottom of the blue backpack she settled in, exploding in the Mii Brawler Primary's face. As the captured fighter rubbed his glowing-violet eyes, the bear quickly grabbed his bird pal by her legs and slammed her right on the Mii Fighter, knocking out the captured fighter and winning the battle.

The tentacles of the Dharkon Lock had shattered into the red mist with the Zan Partizanne Spirit flying free and the foggy crimson lingering for a while. The red mist swirled around the glitching blue hedgehog, and the Star Fox mercenary and the bear-bird duo could only watch. Sonic's violet and golden eyes gleamed all the colors of the rainbow, and it was as though his memory was returning to him. The speedster started remembering his homeworld, his pals Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, and all the crazy adventures they went through while mainly fighting against Dr. Eggman's robots and his stereotypical plans to take over the world through his own empire. All of those memories went through his mind, at least bringing who Sonic was back. The red mist then floated away with the Spirit, and Sonic's eyes stopped glowing. Fox ran up to the blue hedgehog, concerned about what the speedy devil saw.

"I know who I am and where I came from," Sonic sighed with relief. "I may not remember you guys yet, but I at least recall the wild journeys I went through to save my home planet on numerous occasions…" Fox hugged the blue hedgehog, relieved that he was back to his senses.

"Uh, we don't want to interrupt your alone time, but I got the feeling you're forgetting us," the bird cawed.

"They are?" the bear asked, looking above to see his friend's face. The bird simply pecked the bear in the forehead with her beak, shaking her head.

"Oh yeah," the bear spoke with sudden realization. "I'm Banjo, and this is my best pal Kazooie, a Breegull. She usually gives me advice on survival."

"That's what friends are for," Kazooie cooed, resting her wings on Banjo's head. "You can refer to us as Banjo-Kazooie. We don't mind."

"…Alright then," Fox replied. "I'm Fox McCloud. This is Sonic the Hedgehog." Banjo & Kazooie became rather surprised when they suddenly looked past the scars and recognized the blue rodent as though they had met before.

"THE Sonic?" Banjo asked, excited, running up to Sonic and shaking the hedgehog's hand. "Oh. My. Goodness. We've been hanging out in the racing days ever since you arrived in my homeworld! Good to see you, buddy!"

"Do… Do I know you two?" Sonic asked. Because the blue hedgehog could still not remember anything past his life on Mobius, this troubled Banjo & Kazooie greatly as the bear let go of the hedgehog's hand.

"I forgot to tell you… Sonic has amnesia, so he doesn't know any of that happening on your planet," Fox responded. The Star Fox leader and the blue speedster then noticed something off-putting about the bear and Breegull they could see.

"How long were you free from Galeem and Dharkon?" Fox asked.

"Oh, about ten years," Banjo answered.

"We've survived both the Movement of the Light and the Movement of the Darkness," Kazooie responded. "Two of our buddies went traveling around Draxia just recently, and I take it you've already found three of our companions…?" Fox McCloud's brain went completely numb, unable to believe that the bird and the bear survived. After five years of inactivity, they had just found another survivor.

"Piranha Plant, Joker, and the Hero. Of course!" Fox responded. "Yeah, we've found your buddies, and they're off traveling through the Lost Woods. They would probably lose their sense of direction, because… what else can you expect from a name like Lost Woods? According to Hylian legend, children who get lost there become children of the darkness. Skull Kids, to be precise."

"Geez, that's terrible," Banjo replied, rubbing behind his ears. "Let's hope we don't lose our friends there."

"Uh, guys?" Sonic and Kazooie asked in unison, pointing at the Mii Brawler slowly waking up. The three fighters (Banjo & Kazooie are classified as one) walked up to the ex-Ultimate Reborn pull himself together and slowly stand up. The red aura and purple eyes were gone, meaning the Mii Brawler was free from Dharkon's control.

"Where… Where am I?" the Mii Brawler asked, rubbing the side of his face.

"You're in the Sacred Realm, a place located in Draxia, the World of Darkness," Fox answered. The Mii Fighter then became rather confused by Sonic's scars and different eyes colors as well as the bear-bird duo with them.

"…Sonic? Who are those two?" the Mii Brawler asked.

"They're Banjo & Kazooie… I think," Sonic answered. Fox held out his hand for the ex-Brawler Ultimate Reborn to grab onto, pulling the Smasher on his feet.

"We're here to solve a riddle," Fox told the Mii. "If you know any secrets about these torches in Kakariko Village, that would be super."

"…Well, all I know is that the torches are laid out into some sort of clock," the Mii Brawler answered. "All we need to do is figure out the correct time to unlock whatever it is you guys are looking for and we're all set."

"We can help too!" Banjo called out. "What riddle… is it?"

* * *

Within the darkness of the Dharkon Void, the Seraph of Chaos watched the small band of Smashers through a magical mirror. The glaring eye noticed the scar-faced hedgehog communicate with one of the surviving fighters. Galeem, still chained up and trapped in his cage, chuckled at his brother's misstep.

"I'm betting your one mistake was letting the blue rat escape from his torture cell," Galeem maliciously growled, struggling to move as the chains binding his legs and impaling his wings held him down. "Now he's getting his memories back and starting to control his powers."

"Sonic will not live up to the point where he uncovers his entire past and controls the Rainbolements within him, for the Sacred Land is littered with dangerous traps and enemies," Dharkon answered, taking a good look at Banjo and his birdy friend Kazooie. "Plus, the more challengers there are, the merrier."

"I would not count your lucky stars yet because more friends means more combined strength to drag you down," Galeem objected. "Soon, you'll be left to burn in my light, and all will follow my rules of perfection." Tabuu, stilled confined with the Chains of Darkness and attached to the cage bars, backed away as best as he could when Dharkon floated near his brother.

"Not if they kill you first," Dharkon growled. "Once I let them have their way with you, I will be left to enslave them all. There is no way you can resist. Their time… is running out…"


	65. Pt 65: The Princess of Hyrule

Fox, Sonic, and the Mii Brawler took a good look at the quartz torches, trying to see what they could figure out. By their side were Banjo and his Breegull friend Kazooie, who were trying to help them as best as they could.

"So… what's the riddle again?" the Mii Brawler asked.

"An Owl Statue told us to light the torches so the hour is midnight and the minute is worth a dime," Fox answered. "It would be pretty cool if we could find out what the time even reads in the first place…" Sonic then saw some sort of Hylian writing on one of the torches in the outside circle, brushing away the dust to read it.

"You guys might wanna come and see this," Sonic told the gang. The fighters gathered near the glitching blue hedgehog, unable to translate the language.

"I think it means 'seven'," Sonic continued, surprised that he can read Hylian. "How do I know this? It must be these powers enhancing me…"

"Powers?" the Mii Brawler asked.

"Apparently, Dharkon did something to Sonic so he's like this," Banjo answered. "Don't know how or why, but it can't be good for the poor critter." Sonic walked around another torch, with a reading labeling it as "six". Sonic managed to find the torches they lit told the time 4:40.

"Of course," Sonic told the group. "The torches on the outside circle are minutes, and the torches on the inside are hours."

"But how do we figure out the time for this riddle?" Fox asked. "The Owl Statue told us to set these torches to the correct time, with the hour of midnight and the minute worth a dime."

"Well, we know the hour of midnight is 12:00, but what about the minute…?" Kazooie cooed, thinking about the solution.

"The best guess I could come up with is dimes are usually worth ten cents… so what would that make the minute then…?" Sonic responded.

"The time's 12:10," Fox answered. "It may not be the right answer, but this is what we're going with."

"I'll light the right correct ones," Sonic told the Star Fox mercenary. "Wait right here." The glitching hedgehog approached the torches, the palms of his hands generating fire. The blue speedster sent out two fireballs, trying to control which one would land. He had already etched which torches to light in his memory, and he got both the 10-minute torch and the 12-hour one. Things seemed to stop once the ground shook with a more powerful rumble than before. Right at the center of the torch clock in Kakariko Village, a blue pillar of light erupted into the cloudy sky, glowing so bright everyone can see it from the ends of the lands.

* * *

Deep in the Lost Woods, Mario and his team were constantly getting separated from each other, always going around in circles and reuniting. To make matters worse, it was so densely foggy that you can't see several feet in front of you. Once the group reunited at the entrance to the Lost Woods, they were already exhausted.

"Any luck?" Mario asked, panting. The fighters all shook their heads, feeling confused and lost.

"Look!" Sheik called out, pointing at the blue beacon. The fighters turned around and saw the light pillar shining bright into the sky, and Mario already knew its location.

"Kakariko Village," Mario said. "We have to hurry." The red plumber dashed off from the Lost Loose entrance back to the village, and his companions followed after him. Kirby was about to join them too until the red mist of the Mii Brawler Primary appeared from the fog and entered into his body without the pink puffball knowing it. The stone he swallowed before glowed again, triggering yet another vision inside Kirby as his eyes flashed red.

* * *

The pink puffball groaned as he opened his eyes to the dark world of Arcus, noticing Galeem was sitting outside near the lake by the cave. The Lord of Light watched as the Crazy Hands dominated the black skies.

"Dharkon…" Galeem scoffed, whisking the water with his extended claws. "It seems you found out my secret. For once, you've found what I want out of these dragons. I just want to use them to create an empire. I see it's not just about how many people recognize you anymore. We know we have the power to change the universe to suit our needs, and you want to destroy me with it…"

"Excellent choice, Galeem," the calm voice spoke behind the Lord of Light. Galeem turned around to see the mysterious black mist right behind him, holding the pink slime in his crystalline hands.

"I see your brother has finally had enough of your government," the figure with the green sclera and red irises spoke. "…Would you like me to help you with that?"

"How do you know I can trust you?" Galeem asked, standing up on his four legs. "As far as I know, you're here to kill me at the last minute."

"Maybe, maybe not," the stranger responded. "So you wish to become as powerful as Dharkon? I and been around the block seven times, not counting this event."

"What you mean not counting?" Galeem growled, become suspicious of the black-mist figure. "Tell me what's going on here!"

"Your brother Phoenix wished he would be just as powerful and popular as you, dreaming to live up to your level," the stranger responded. "I gave it to him… but the results were catastrophic in levels I had never expected. You can blame me and say it's my fault, but I suppose there is no way around this. Your brother has become too dangerous for this world. His darkness will spread throughout the planet, then the solar system, then the galaxy, and later the universe and all other universes beyond."

"What do I have to do?" Galeem asked, starting to lower his guard.

"That's rather easy," the stranger responded, his pink slime slithering around his crystalline arm. "In order to defeat the monster, you must become the monster yourself. So far, Dharkon is only bent on killing you and putting out all the lights in existence, ranging from tiny flames to enormous stars. He sees you as corrupt as all other sentient beings. You are stronger and wiser than him. Your heart is as tough as stone so Dharkon will not control you. Burn him from this world and wipe out all the shadows and chaos. Then, you will have what you desire: order and perfection." The white dragon slowly approached the shadowy figure, unaware of what the stranger had in mind.

"Let me awaken you to your truest form…" the stranger spoke. The pink slime quickly slithered up the crystalline arm to the stranger's fingers, disturbing Galeem greatly. The Lord of Light was about to jump away in panic before the coated crystalline arm scratched the left side of his face, only without any pain this time. Galeem's breathing stopped as he felt the golden scar running down the left side of his face, surprised at how deep it went through his iron-tough skin before it faded. Even though it appeared to have vanished, the scar was still there.

"This should give you an advantage against your brother," the stranger spoke. "If you should even need help, you can always talk to me."

"But… what about Ultima?" Galeem asked. "My wife? Our unborn child?"

"They don't matter," the stranger responded, levitating into the black sky with the pink slime on his shoulders. "What's important is that you bring the light and order back to this world. Destroy the darkness and chaos. It shouldn't be hard to convince the survivors to be on your side. What do they know about me anyway…?"

"Nothing…?" Galeem answered in the form of a question. "…Wait. Who are you and why is this happening? Wait!" Before the Lord of Light could get a response, the black-mist stranger vanished without a trace, his pink slime companion included. Galeem touched the area of his scar, which lighted up before it went out again. Before he could think of anything else, Galeem entered into the Cave of the Ancients, already having a plan to defeat Dharkon. As soon as things calmed down for the pink puffball, the environment went dark, and Kirby woke up back in the Sacred Realm near the Lost Woods.

"Kirby!" Marth called out from the distance. "Let's go!" Kirby willingly listened to the command the Hero-King was giving him and quickly followed the trail to Kakariko Village.

* * *

"What's going on?" Banjo asked, shielding his and Kazooie's eyes from the blue beacon that was growing bigger and brighter.

"I think we did something," Fox answered. "I think… it's the second half of the Triforce of Wisdom! We found Zelda!" The blue beacon vanished after a split second, fading away to reveal another Primary of Dharkon: the beautiful and wise Zelda as she appeared ten years ago.

"So you think you can just intrude this land without Dharkon's permission, don't you?" the Zelda Primary asked. "Have at thee, Invaders, for I am Hilda, the Princess of Lorule!" Fox wasted no time in listening to introductions as fast as he pulled out his blaster and fired at the Primary's skirt. A small flame ignited near her feet, and the Zelda Primary stepped on her skirt to put it out.

"Listen," Fox snarled, exposing his canine teeth through his pissed-off expression. "We've been having a rough ten years of fighting, so don't think this can end any differently for you."

"Whatever you say, warriors not from Hyrule," the Zelda Primary noted, summoning a Phantom behind her. Once Sonic dashed towards her and kicked the captured fighter's knee, the Phantom's legs were only completed as it dashed towards the other three fighters. Fox and the Mii Brawler jumped above, but Kazooie quickly shielded Banjo with Golden Feathers and quickly dashed towards the possessed Princess of Hyrule. The Zelda Primary was about to use Nayru's Love as she was being launched, but the Mii Brawler quickly landed behind her and up-smashed, sending her into Fox's flaming jump.

She was tossed onto the ground, trying to conjure up dark magic like in Lorule and mixing it with Din's Fire. Kazooie laid another Grenade Egg that rolled from underneath Banjo's backpack meant to be aimed at the captured fighter, but the Zelda Primary used Nayru's Love and reflected the Grenade Egg which landed in Sonic's hands. Without warning, electricity spiraled out through the grenade, and the glitching blue hedgehog could not react in time to throw it. As Fox was rapidly kicking the Zelda Primary, he dashed towards Sonic before the electrical-charged grenade was about to explode and quickly pulled out his reflector. The grenade was about to go out with a bang in the air, and Kazooie quickly assisted Banjo with grabbing the Zelda Primary and throwing her into the grenade's direction. The Mii Brawler simply tossed a bowling ball as bait, and the Zelda Primary took it by using Nayru's Love and reflecting the ball only to notice the charged grenade flying towards her in time. Before she could teleport away with Farore's Wind, the humongous blast created from both fire and lightning killed the Zelda Primary instantly, winning the battle.

The four fighters cheered for their victory, applauding at the large explosion that defeated the Zelda Primary. Sonic whooped and spinned around in place before he slipped and fell into Fox's arms. The Star Fox mercenary shook his head for the trouble only an idiot like the blue hedgehog will go through, and Sonic pushed Fox's face away from himself.

"Thanks, pal," Sonic chuckled, getting back up on his feet. The comatose Princess of Hyrule was bathed in a blue light, floating down to the village as the red mist and Hilda Spirit accompanied her. The four fighters watched as the red mist swirled around Sonic, bringing back more of the hedgehog's memories. He started remembering an urgent message delivered to his door one day, saying that Knuckles and Shadow the Hedgehog went missing. In an act of rescue, Sonic managed to gather all seven Chaos Emeralds and even steal some from Dr. Eggman and transformed into his Super Form, leaving his home planet without telling the rest of his friends. This resulted in him searching through different universes different from his own light-millennia away, stopping at different worlds to let the Chaos Emeralds recharge as he went around the various landscapes, fighting common enemies, learning about the legendary heroes and creatures and even befriending said heroes and creatures while competing in friendly rivalries. The journeys he went through gave him a memory that spanned a lifetime, mapping literally the entire multiverse and its tales from the back of his head. The only thing he was currently unable to recover was Arcadia. All he remembered afterwards was nothing, not even managing to rescue Shadow and Knuckles… for now. The red mist levitated away from Sonic's face, floating with the Hilda Spirit into the direction of the Lost Woods.

"…Banjo? Kazooie?" Sonic asked, finally recognizing the bear and the bird.

"You do remember us!" Kazooie happily cooed, Banjo hugging the glitching hedgehog tightly.

"Guys…" the Mii Brawler told the three anthropomorphic animals. Banjo and Sonic broke up the hug and saw the rest of their group travel down from the path to the Lost Woods, surprised by what they were met with. Most of the houses in Kakariko Village were torn down from the fighting, with many Spirits huddled close together and frightened.

Link, Toon Link, and Sheik ran up to Princess Zelda, who was just waking up. Joker and the Hero hugged Banjo & Kazooie, glad they were back together after five years.

"We didn't think we would see you two again!" Ireburn cried, both he and the Phantom Thief happy to return to the bear and his Breegull friend.

"Mamma mia…" Mario sighed, planting his hand on his face. "When will you learn, Sonic? When will you learn…?"

"That my actions have consequences?" Sonic jokingly finished, laughing at his own humor whilst glitching. "At least I know who I am and know about you guys…"

"At least the old Sonic's back, and we're finally out of the Lost Woods," Marth responded in relief. While the Smashers were greeting each other in acquaintance and satisfaction over one's safety, Kirby watched as the Hilda Spirit and the red mist entered his body, triggering yet another vision.

* * *

The pink puffball woke up to the clamoring of dragons, preferably the survivors in the Cave of the Ancients. Ultima emerged from the nursery to meet up with her sister-in-law and mentor to figure out what was going on.

"Oh, Ultima," Medley said. "You're here in time. Galeem has an idea to take back our world and save Arcus."

"I hope he does…" Ultima answered. "I mean… it's not like he's going to betray us at the last minute… right?" Sozo approached the young Queen of Arcus, showing that there is something going on in the general's mind.

"I have a confession to make," Sozo sighed. "However, this is a major secret, and no one else must hear us. Follow me." Sozo ran right into the nursery, and Ultima went after him in confusion.

"But won't the children listen?" Ultima asked.

"Dragonlings are weak in their mental state, meaning that they don't listen as good as the adults," Sozo explained. "Even if they were to listen, they would just find it too boring to understand." The two royal dragons made it to the nursery, where most of the few million baby dragons have already calmed down.

"You were saying?" Ultima asked.

"When my father, Lord Ceresor, had died, I managed to sense an… unspeakable evil in your presence when you were at his grave," Sozo answered. "There are many evils in our world doing things for their own twisted intentions, but whoever visited you… was not from this universe, or any other universe. Somehow, it found a way into our world and is twisting your brothers against each other as it feasts on their family secrets to make itself stronger."

"Brothers?" Ultima asked. "Galeem would never fall under sin. He's the Lord of Light, symbolic of peace and hope."

"He may have my authority and powers, but he is still to juvenile to understand the consequences," Sozo answered. "Even if he had traveled to different planets with us, he is still not bright enough to know about… her."

"…Her?" The Queen of Arcus was starting to think about what her mentor was talking about, starting to remember the goddess from her nightmare.

"Her consciousness is strong enough to manipulate and deceive even the strongest of minds," Sozo responded. "One minute, she arrives when you are at your weakest. The next… both she and her raw power convert you into one of her many toys. Toys that break once she plays with them too rough, just like how she sees us. Her envy and insanity for the Almighty Father's creations has no limit. She thinks she can create the perfect multiverse free of sin… by destroying ours. I can see through your memories. My father told me and Hakai about her. We know who you saw…" Flashing images of Ultima's nightmare flashed through her mind, scaring her to the point where she doesn't know what's real anymore.

"In the beginning, she was locked away for her attempt of destruction," Sozo continued. "The Almighty Father and his angels split her into two: her raw power and her mind. Her raw power, the Mother, was sealed away in the World of Insanity far away from our grasp, but her mind was strong enough to remain in the multiverse, still bent on collapsing all matter. The mind was locked away in a parallel universe, guarded by the Flames of Surtr's Son until time ended in that dimension. After His work was done, the Almighty Father killed the Seraphim of Balance on his side, who were corrupted by the goddess that worked for Him. He then spread their powers to the mortals, believing that anyone in a higher plane of existence than flesh and bone cannot be touched by her scheming ways. From what has happened so far… He was wrong for once. The mind of the goddess manipulated the flames to merge with him, and they had combined into a god. When three figures of light had stopped them, all they did was put out the Flames of Surtr's Son."

"Then… that means he made it here…" Ultima gasped with sudden realization in her golden eyes. "The pink slime he carried along is an Insaniton that somehow survived! That goddess somehow found us! But that means… Galeem is in danger…!"

"His own actions will only get himself killed, whether he was corrupted by the mind of the goddess or not," Sozo answered. "Your brothers have reached a point to where you cannot stop them now in their conquest for power. I know you cannot do this alone… but only with help can you stop a terrible fate that not even the Almighty Father could do to stop. I hope you know what you're doing, Queen of Arcus." Ultima looked outside of the nursery, watching as Galeem was giving a motivational speech in the center of the crowd of dragons.

"And I promise you once we burn all the shadows from this world, we will build it up to a perfect society!" Galeem roared, cheering from the other dragons aching him on. "We will be free from a world of darkness and chaos! Light and order will remain, and we will become the ultimate hive mind! Our loved ones may be gone, but we will live on in their name!" Ultima looked back on Sozo, who looked after the children in the nursery.

"I know what I'm doing," Ultima told the ex-Lord of Light, "unless I'm too late…" The dragons tore down the entrance to the Cave of the Ancients, flying towards Dharkon's current resting place with Galeem leading the way.

"I will stay with the younger dragons," Sozo told Ultima. "They are clearly inexperienced with battle and conflict. It's up to you with what you want to see. I hope your brother isn't already under the influence of the Mother." The Queen of Arcus looked back on Sozo and the dragonlings, noticing Josei and Ningyo with the eggs of Glimmeress and Inkereign in the large group of young dragons. As soon as Ultima soared out of the cave, Kirby's eyes flashed red again, with the environment fading into shadows and bringing him back into reality.

* * *

Kirby groaned as the Duck Hunt dog sniffed his face, waking the pink puffball up.

"You awake, sleepyhead?" Kazooie asked. The pink puffball rolled back onto his feet to be greeted by a bipedal bear with a bird in his backpack. It wasn't long before Fox rubbed his cuddly head, glad that his pal was back.

"I can't thank you enough for Smashers like you rescuing me," Zelda spoke out from behind the reunited team of fighters. "This surely is a strange world we live in…"

"Zelda! Your hand!" Link told her. Mario, Kirby, Fox, Sonic, Snake, Joker, Mr. Game & Watch, all of the fighters on their team became surprised when Zelda's right hand flashed blue with half the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom. Sheik's second half glowed blue too, finally finding its match, and PAC-MAN lifted up the Sheikah's hand for his friends to see.

Back at the Temple of the Master Sword, the completed Triforce of Wisdom flashed blue, its aura spreading throughout the land. The fighters then suddenly noticed the dense fog looming over the Lost Woods drastically fade so that their vision was not so opaque as before. This would clearly give them an easier chance of traveling to who they know is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage's third.

"Ready for-a round 2?" Mario asked, popping his knuckles. "We've got-a Triforce to complete." The fighters all got their weapons ready, with some raising their fists close to their faces. Those that were rescued from Dharkon clearly would not know what to expect.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the Mii Brawler asked. "Hyrule 2.0 can be filled with a lot of traps, my people included…"

"Cineroar," Incineroar answered, giving a thumbs up.

"We complete the Triforce and bring peace, we head back to your base," Zelda responded, magic glittering between her fingers.

"Don't look at me," Sonic replied while glitching. "I'm just here to get my memories back." The blue hedgehog let the seven Rainbolements slither at the tips of his gloved hands as he dashed towards the Lost Woods, eager to learn more about himself.

"Wait! Come back!" Fox shouted, chasing after him. Soon, the entirety of Group A rushed down to the Lost Woods, returning veterans and newcomers included.


	66. Pt 66: The Lost Woods

Once the fighters got to the entrance of the Lost Woods, they noticed the dark, crooked trees were visible in the cloudy light, with the dense fog only touching the ground. Zelda stood in front of the bending gateway, believing she can help these fighters in their mission.

"The reason why you were always commonly lost is because you haven't interacted with one of the Owl Statues here," Zelda explained. "Maybe if you looked around hard enough, you could have found one of them. Let me show you. Everyone go in a single-file line behind me…" The Princess of Hyrule entered the Lost Woods, with Sheik following behind her. Mario walked through the gateway with Fox and Sonic, with Link carrying Toon Link on his shoulders. Snake, PAC-MAN, Pit, Mega Man, Simon, and Ryu were accompanied by Joker, Ireburn, and Banjo with his Breegull friend Kazooie. Soon, basically all the fighters traveled past the gateway to the Lost Woods, ready to take on whatever challenges await them.

The team traversed through the foggy forest, not wanting to get lost again. What they saw were wilting leaves on the branches, coated in thick, sticky webs. The echoing laughter of children was carried across the wind, filling the Smashers with an uneasiness.

"The problem's the fact that you are always straying from the path," Zelda told them, holding her long skirt up. "If you feel hard stone wherever you're walking, then you are going the right way. Sooner or later, you'll finally come across an Owl Statue, and would you look at that?" Right in front of the fighters at the end of a three-way path was what they were looking for: an Owl Statue embedded in roots and rotting vines. Its eyes flashed white as it spoke its message.

 _Courage lies within the hopeful girl who waits for her friend. If you wish to find him yourself, travel east, south, and then continue south. The hidden path calls for you._

"Listen to the statues," Zelda told her friends. "They always speak the truth." Mario pulled out the compass portion on his watch-like device, watching the wiggling needle trying to point north and knowing where to go. The red plumber took the path closest to east, setting his trail down the one he chose. The fighters followed after him, with Zelda and Sheik trailing behind Mario. The red plumber then turned south, keeping his feet firm on the stone road as he simply went straight. Then, he came across a huge bush of thistles blocking the path.

"Zelda… are you sure this is the way?" Mario asked.

"I told you, the Owl Statues never lie," Zelda answered. "…Don't they?"

"So I guess we made it here for nothing?" Mega Man responded. "The branches look so thick you can't even burn them down…" Soon controversy arose on how the fighters would individually tear down the thistle bush, which grew into more of arguments on who was better. Not taking the risk, Sonic the Hedgehog ran into the bush, glitching as he took his rapid footsteps. The fighters suddenly stopped talking as they saw Sonic blip through the thistles.

"Sonic!" Fox called out, running through the bush.

"His powers must've made him survive, Fox! There's no way you can… make it… through?" the Mii Brawler answered, slowly turning into the form of a question when he and the Smashers noticed that the Star Fox leader simply ran through as though it was like the fog on the ground. Soon, Fox's hand poked out without a scratch.

"It's alright!" Fox told his friends while making gestures with his hand. "There's a secret entrance through here!" When they had heard that, Mario stepped through, suddenly realizing that the thistle bush wasn't hurting him.

"Come on, people!" Sonic told them from inside the secret entrance. "The sooner we rescue your pals, the faster we can get to this Dharkon person!" The fighters walked through the thistle bush after realizing that it was just an illusion, and now they were traveling inside the thorny vines. Normally, anyone would stray off the path and get lost due to the fog obstructing the view of the road, but the team took into advantage of walking on the stone as they followed Zelda, Sheik, and Mario.

"Y'know," the Mii Brawler told Fox, "I've been thinking. I notice it's getting hard for even me to split myself from the other Mii Brawlers, who I know are still out there in the darkness. I just feel like I would probably want a name that sets me apart from the others…"

"What do you mean?" Banjo asked, who was overhearing the conversation.

"I just… want a chance of pace," the Mii Brawler answered. "Hopefully the Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner ex-Ultimates are waiting for me outside of the Sacred Land, and the least I should have before I get myself killed is at least an identity..."

"How about Sieg?" Fox answered in the form of a question. "Five years before Dharkon arrived, there was a woman by our side named Faker who's still back at our hiding base. She carried a stone that's currently inside Kirby. Literally, when he swallowed it. Once he gave it back to Faker one time, she recovered some of her memories as well as sharing them with us so we know who we're up against. Your ancestors were involved at one point, so I guess they had names too…"

"I… suppose Sieg is a good choice," the Mii Brawler replied in glee. "You can call me that from now on."

"Welcome aboard, Sieg," Kazooie chirped. Just then, Banjo bumped into the Inkling from behind, and the other fighters stopped. Mario, Zelda, and Sheik had just came across another Owl Statue in front of the stone path. The red plumber touched its base again, and it had another message.

 _The boy raised by Kokiri is close at hand. If you wish to burn down the log that blocks the path, head north, west, north, and then continue north. Dive in with whatever bravery is in your hearts._

Mario then pulled out his device again, watching the spinning needle keep pointing itself north. The red plumber emerged out of the thistle bush secret passage, heading up north while keeping his guard steady. He then turned west, and north again until the fighters stumbled across a huge lake found in the middle of the Lost Woods.

"Great," Joker sighed, placing his hand on his face. "Another dead end." The Inkling stuck her hand in the water to make sure that it wasn't as toxic. Much to her surprise, she didn't melt once again. However, it still doesn't answer how the fighters can find the supposed Young Link Primary.

"Work with us, people," Zelda answered, standing as she looked around the edge of the lake. "There has to be a secret around here…" As the Princess of Hyrule traversed the strange area, Pit looked at the reflection of the shimmering, murky water until he noticed purple irises gleaming on the lake's surface, appearing right behind Zelda.

"Zelda, look out!" Pit shouted. Zelda turned around to see the legendary Parallel Falchion attempt to strike her before she jumped out of the way, summoning her Phantom by her side. The ghostly armor halfway completed slashed straight at the Primary, who jumped straight out of the trees. Pit fired a light arrow with his bow at the captured fighter, who jumped out of the way while a Mimicutie appeared out of nowhere and rapidly kicked the angel from behind. Mario used his forward aerial, unable to do so as the Mimicutie had super armor and kicked him in the face. The possessed fighter that seemed to ambush the fighters was Chrom, who was held under Dharkon's control.

Marth recognized the image of the Spirit that flashed on Chrom's chest, showing it to be Camus from the timeline when Chrom, Robin, and Lucina all existed thousands of years after the Hero-King's rule. The Mimicutie began kicking harshly, spinning around in circles and trying to send the fighters flying. Sonic got onto all fours and pounced on the Chrom Primary like a panther, creating ice shards on his glitching fingertips and slashing harshly at the captured fighter's face.

"So you're the glitch that escaped, huh?" the Chrom Primary asked, holding his Parallel Falchion against the blue hedgehog's hands. "This is going to be fun…"

"Not for you it isn't!" Sonic snarled, back-throwing the Chrom Primary straight for the Mimicutie, which was dancing around on its feminine legs and rapidly jabbing with them, the fighters keeping their distance due to its super armor. The glitching hedgehog zipped towards the chest monster and heated up his gloves until they were scalding hot. Melting the gold on the rim of the Mimicutie, Sonic pried the chest body open, kicking the Chrom Primary into a black vortex inside the creature from the Underworld Army. The glitching blue rodent dived into the Mimicutie, with Kirby following in after him. As soon as things have started to calm down once the Mimicutie dropped dead, the bushes rustled until an invading army of corrupted Mii Brawlers, Supporters, and Subspace Army troops emerged, trampling the very ground they stood on.

* * *

Sonic had his hands full on flashing his feet against the Chrom Primary on the Arena Ferox stage with Kirby by his side, his metal soles grinding across the smooth metal until sparks emerged. Wind was coating the Parallel Falchion, and the Chrom Primary slashed. The blue hedgehog jumped out of the way in time, ready to use his homing attack after Kirby kicked the captured fighter and used his Stone ability shortly after the Primary tried to use a counter-attack. Sonic managed to hit the Chrom Primary, but with unexpected results. For one, it was a massive blast of fire from the blue hedgehog, glitching like he did. The Chrom Primary landed as soon as large platforms emerged through gears and cogs. The captured fighter began spacing out with aerials, keeping an eye on the two Smashers approaching him.

"Stay back!" the Chrom Primary shouted, swinging his blade. "I'm warning you!" The glitching hedgehog tried to keep himself in midair through powerful air boosts, trying to avoid touching the ground as Kirby did his thing to the captured fighter. The pink puffball parried the Chrom Primary's forward smash and quickly used Inhale, only spitting the Chrom Primary out as a star this time. Once the captured fighter was off-stage, Sonic nosedived straight for the possessed Smasher, coated in a powerful magic aura. After the glitching blue hedgehog collided with the Chrom Primary, a powerful blast of plasma blasted out in all directions, knocking the captured fighter into the blast zone and winning the battle.

Beams of light this time rest the background of the Arena Ferox, swirling around in rainbow colors as they approached Kirby and Sonic. The blue hedgehog noticed he could not move and only saw the Camus Spirit emerge from the Chrom Primary's body and surround him with a barrier.

"Poyo poyo poyo!" Kirby told Sonic, hoping the speedy devil could hear his language. As shocking as that was, Sonic fully understood what Kirby was saying.

"Aim fo-fo-fo-for the tiny hole?" Sonic asked, glitching again between his sentence and almost pulling the trigger. "Like I would have that much luck!" As soon as Sonic glitched again, he pulled the trigger of the Spirit Sniper and hit the Chrom Primary, shattering the Dharkon Lock and freeing both the Spirit and the fighter. The place went completely dark, with the red mist swirling around Sonic's face.

Part of the hedgehog's amnesia was recovered, allowing him to recall what happened when he arrived. He had traveled to the edge of the multiverse with the Chaos Emeralds, still looking for his two pals… until he was snatched by the Master and Crazy Hands of Arcadia. His soul was separated from his body and placed in a different vessel, for the rules they had made sure he was not a mortal and can be revived by another at the cost of his past. Not wanting to take the chance, Sonic fled from the darkness, escaping into the light before the Hands could reach him and transform him. The next thing he knew… he woke up in a forest…

As soon as the red mist finished restoring some of Sonic's memories, it merged with the Camus Spirit and entered inside Kirby. The glitching blue hedgehog grabbed ahold of Kirby as the pink puffball was ready to experience yet another vision.

* * *

He was seen floating in midair, watching the fleet of dragons soar through the air. They were all led by Galeem, whose orange-and-blue wings created trails of light. His sister Ultima trailer along behind him, starting to feel worried if Galeem would really fall into sin. Why would he do that? He represents light – holy, pure, and incorruptible. There is no way he would appear in the same vein as their brother Phoenix… unless the light itself was in the wrong hands. The Queen of Arcus tilted her body and drew closer to Medley, who joined the fight to retake Arcus.

"Medley?" Ultima asked. "I… haven't seen Galeem in quite a while and was wondering how he behaved with you."

"He was the sweetest of all the other dragons I came across," Medley answered. "Since our species ages fast but lives up to thousands of years, it didn't take long for us to see and conceive a child under our territory. However, as I sleep, I can hear him walk outside of our home and look out into the night. On numerous occasions, I peak outside to see him look beyond the horizon as though it was his to command. As though it was his to govern. As though it was his to rule. And he stares out like he wants to be king. I guess being popular all these years really got to him… well, before he was kicked out by Lord Ceresor."

"…After the Lord of Arcus died, he saw potential in me to become a pure queen and retain the balance between darkness and light by choosing the best of his sons' students," Ultima responded with a deep exhale. "I just hope it wasn't the biggest mistake of our lives trying to make my brothers Lords of Light and Darkness."

As the remaining millions of dragons in all of Arcus flew closer to the Sky Temple, thousands of Crazy Hands flew out from the thundering sky of black and charged straight for the reveling dragons, curled up into fists. Galeem shot a flaming fireball that expanded in the air, trapping the first hundred Crazy Hands in a golden burning aura. The Hands of Destruction then collapsed into Swarms mixed with violet crystals, their silky fabric skins burning into ashes. Once the fireball vanished, the Lord of Light flew upright to give his command.

"For the light and the order!" Galeem roared, creating a web of lasers streaming from his mouth. As the laser show spliced through more Crazy Hands before most of them teleported right in front of the charging dragons, the resistance began tackling with their primary Rainbolements. More Crazy Hands emerged from the Sky Temple and starting attacking more of the dragons. While the resistance had their claws full mauling what once were their family, Galeem, Ultima, and Medley managed to get past the security of Dharkon's forces and land in front of the entrance.

Once Galeem barged the locked doors down, they saw what happened to the Sky Temple after they escaped. Nauseating, pulsing webs of flesh and pus ran across the large cracks, glowing with the red blood color as the lightning flashed in the sky. As the three Dragosmos made their way across the hall to make it to the throne room, they managed to find the bodies of all the dragons that were killed by resistance. Cocoons of skin wrapped around the corpses, being hung on the crumbling ceiling and even some attached to the disgusting piles of gore. It seemed as though the cocoons were digesting the flesh of the bodies because the three Dragosmos saw one spit out bones that were clean and rid of any muscle tissue, and they were see-through enough so they can watch the horror of acidic fluids melt the rotting corpses inside these cocoons. The faces of the dead dragons were filled with fear of death, some of them even having one or two gaping-wide eye sockets of where the most expressive parts of the face should be.

"This is terrible," Ultima gasped, stopping to feel sorry and pain for those souls that have been tortured even after death. "Phoenix would never do something so dark and horrible…" The Queen of Arcus noticed Galeem not bothering the mourning and dashed straight for the throne room. He rammed throw the royal door, sending pieces flying in all directions. The Lord of Light's nostrils flared with the golden flames as he stood in front of Dharkon, his colossal tentacle-wings wrapping around his levitating draconic body.

"Nice to see you again, brother," Dharkon growled, his violet scar glowing brighter. "I guess you came crawling back at my feet from the flame you emerged out of."

"This ends right here and now, Dharkon!" Galeem roared, spreading his wings open while Medley and Ultima walked by his side. "You can for in Tartarus for all I care!" Dharkon then floated towards the snarling dragons, chuckling. One of his tentacles slithered in front of him, holding some sort of small mobile device.

"I found this peculiar item in Ceresor's item vault," Dharkon calmly spoke. "I wonder how this works...?" The Seraph of Chaos let his tentacle toss it into the air as he shot a small energy beam at the mobile device. As the item levitated in midair and floated away, hard techno music started playing in all directions of the room as though there was surround sound. The song that played was _Monstercat - Final Boss_.

"I have been looking to brighten this place up, and I see this kind of ancient music really amps me up. Gets me into my mood," Dharkon spoke, landing softly on the ground as he clawed through the stone floor as the song kept playing. "Prepare to be consumed by the darkness, brother!" Galeem took off into the air, speeding up such as that he would ran into Dharkon with a brute force. The Lord of Light began clashing heads with the Seraph of Chaos, their horns tangling with each other as they pushed against their countering forces. Ultima and Medley began breathing fire at Dharkon, stunning him so that he would jump back. The Lord of Darkness split his six grotesque wings into tentacles, sending some of them flying straight for the Queen of Arcus and Galeem's wife. Ultima pushed Medley out of the way as the tentacles were flying, sliding on the floor.

Galeem began breathing flames made out of purely concentrated light, which was painful to the touch for Dharkon. The darkness infecting his body has become powerful enough to the point that only light can harm him, but he can harm the light as well. Dharkon coiled himself in his tendrils, spitting out blasts of thorns created from pure darkness. The Lord of Darkness then generated electricity through his tentacles and dashed towards Galeem, but the white-armored brother teleported out of the way in time.

The charging Seraph of Chaos hit Ultima, but the dragoness transformed herself into stone and bit into one of the electricity-coated tentacles. She quickly combusted herself into water, electrocuting Dharkon. Ultima then reformed herself back to normal and created a flaming sword in her mouth. Medley backed away and assisted by firing flaming rocks at Dharkon's face. As the Lord of Darkness grabbed the blade of Ultima's flaming sword and shattered it with his own teeth, he was tackled by his brother Galeem.

 _Are you ready?_

The two brothers got back up on their feet, glaring at each other as the scars given to them shined bright. Ultima walked behind, protecting Medley from the intense fight.

 _Are you…?_

As the song kept playing, Galeem and Dharkon dashed towards each other, clawing at their faces ferociously. Their mouths were smoldering hot to the point that their own teeth were burning to the touch. Galeem fired a golden blast of fire while Dharkon unleashed a violet orb of lightning. Once the two projectiles collided into a cataclysmic explosion, the ceiling crumbled with heavy stones and rubble. Ultima whipped some of the falling boulders with her tail as she knew there was no safety even with her Rainbolements. Another stone fell on top of the two dragonesses, but only Medley took advantage of that. She quickly held on tight to the rock as the floor crumbled underneath them, with the Queen of Arcus noticing. Trying to fly above the Sky Temple as it was collapsing was critical at this point, and Ultima destroyed the rock with an acid ball. She pushed Medley to a nearby exit when she discovered they were at the bottom floor with the statues, the Smash Balls, and the Core of the First Star.

 _Eight…_

 _Seven…_

 _Six…_

 _Five…_

 _(Are you ready?)_

Dharkon took off into the sky, thunder rolling behind the Seraph of Chaos as he looked down upon Galeem.

"I suppose you have visited the same stranger that granted me the exact same scar you have," Dharkon said. "Perhaps you and I are not so different in wanting to shape the multiverse to our will."

"In your crushed, pathetic dreams!" Galeem roared, the golden scar on the left side of his face illuminating brighter. The Lord of Light flew into the black sky, but the Lord of Darkness simply vanished into the clouds, the thunder providing a silhouette of Dharkon's six colossal tentacle-wings.

 _Four..._

 _Three…_

 _Two…_

 _One…_

 _FIGHT!_

Dharkon warped back and forth, firing three of his lightning-coated tentacles mixed with a wall of violet thorns per teleport. Galeem managed to warp through the obstacles and try to use his powers to his advantage. The Lord of Light generated golden fire covering his body, spotting Dharkon hiding in the shadows. Galeem quickly fired a blue lightning blast at the Lord of Darkness, who got hit. Dharkon shook his head as he watched his brother charge up a net of lasers, angling themselves all towards him.

The Seraph of Chaos zipped back and forth, flying across the sky as Galeem aimed his own lasers right at the Sky Temple, by which Ultima and Medley were trapped underneath. The Queen of Arcus managed to spot the resisting dragons hold the Crazy Hands back in time, both sides unaware that they were in Ceresor's treasure trove.

"We have to get out of here!" Ultima told Medley after she noticed the falling rubble blocked all exits. The dragoness went in front of the wife of Galeem, melting and freezing all sorts of debris in front of her as she charged for the barricaded exit. Medley kept close to the Queen of Arcus, paying attention for any boulders falling from the ceiling and trying to hit them. One of the pieces of the Sky Temple fell on top of a 21st century car, the alarm blaring as it was crushed under the rock's powerful weight. Dharkon from outside heard the sound, which distracted him from Galeem's charge attack. The Seraph of Chaos then transformed two of his wings into a sledgehammer that he carried around through telekinesis while using the rest of his lightning-coated tentacles and thorny bullets as projectiles.

 _Round 2… FIGHT!_

Galeem and Dharkon teleported back and forth, with the Lord of Light sending out lightning orbs, golden fireballs, and crisscrossing webs of lasers and the Lord of Darkness sending out lightning tentacles and thorny vines while swinging his sledgehammer weapon once he was close to his brother. A battle between order and chaos enraged between the two, with only one fighting to whoever will be ruler of light or darkness. Galeem bit deep into the tendrils that made Dharkon's sledgehammer as soon as he was coated in a self-destruct aura. Once the aura combusted in the eyes of Phoenix, his tendrils turned back into his six wings, and he was slammed into the ground by Galeem.

The sheer impact of Dharkon's body grinding against the floor created a wall of rubble about to conveniently fall on top of Ultima and Medley. Knowing the risk she was about to take, Medley pushed Ultima aside and allowed herself to be crushed by the boulders.

"Medley!" Ultima cried, quickly getting up and ramming through the boulders that buried Medley. The Queen of Arcus dragged the golden-snowflake dragoness out of the debris, her heart beating fast from this traumatic effect.

"No, Medley," Ultima cried, nudging into Medley's chest. "You can't join your sister yet! You can't!" Medley simply looked at the Queen of Arcus weakly, feeling rather… happy and released.

"Ultima…" Medley whispered. "…Take care… of Glimmeress for me… okay?" In her dying breath, the golden-snowflake dragon with white-diamond wings rested her head against the crumbling floor. Just like that, she bit the dust. Ultima placed her front paws in front of her mouth, the scars on her face dripping with tears as she began to cry over Medley's loss. Once the music had stopped, Galeem and Dharkon then broke through the ceiling, with the Lord of Light having the upper hand against his brother.

"Pathetic…" Galeem panted, approaching the tired Seraph of Chaos. "Even with all the power of the shadows, you are still weak." The Lord of Darkness transformed his wings into a sledgehammer, trying to swing at Galeem and crush him like a bug. Since he was already exhausted as he was, Galeem spread his wings and cast some sort of spell. It was rather powerful since Dharkon found himself trapped in a cage of light. The Seraph of Chaos screamed bloody murder as the bright bars scalded his colossal tendrils and burned through his blackened scales. The Crazy Hands that were attacking before became chained up by cuffs made purely out of light, every single one of them from the far corners of the planet pulled towards the floating cage of light, even Hakai himself. The rebelling dragons entered the Sky Temple, with nothing but silence lingering over them. The sky brightened up a bit, with the spell of the darkness lifted with only a normal-looking thundercloud rolling in the night sky.

"It… it's over," Ultima sighed with relief. "We pushed back the darkness. Now we can rebuild this world until us dragonkin are free." However, Galeem had his own intentions, and he was ready to speak out once Dharkon finished wailing.

"…And why would I want to do that?" Galeem asked. That question changed everything for Ultima. Once he had said those exact words, she had no idea which side Galeem had turned to.

"What?" Ultima asked. Galeem turned around to face her, shaking his head.

"Oh, Ultima," Galeem chuckled, his eyes flashing golden with black markings and vertical irises of white. "You just don't understand."

"Understand? Of course I don't! I have no idea what compelled you to say that! Tell me, Galeem!"

"The truth was right in front of you, and yet you refused to believe it. I just wanted to get my brother and all the darkness in the multiverse to create a perfect system of balance for my own intentions. It wasn't about the peace, hope, and freedom. It was about the power and order you can distribute among all sentient species." Galeem then transformed into his true form with the six colossal wings separated from his body and everything, basically the exact same enhanced Lord of Light when Kirby and his friends went up against Galeem before.

"I see how it is. The mysterious stranger that worked for the Mother just handed those powers to you when he knew all you wanted was to create and empire of order and perfection? This is not the way to do it, Galeem. You're smarter than this!" Galeem then levitated in the air, using his telekinesis to transform all of the surviving dragons in their resistance into right-handed, disembodied hands. This time, they were just corrupted under Galeem's rule to begin with, so it was easy for the new Seraph of Order to turn them into Master Hands. Ultima looked in horror as she had found her own brother had betrayed her once Dharkon was locked up.

"But I'm the Queen of Arcus!" Ultima snapped. "You have NO right over me!"

"Pearls before swine, sister," Galeem spoke with a slightly humorous tone as the Master Hands echoed with their laughter. "I am simply the purest of the pure. No denying that." Two Master Hands each teleported to individual sides of Ultima, slamming boulders down upon her spectrum-colored wings and crushing them. She gasped in pain as her wings were pinned to the stone floor, the night thunder rolling in the sky as light raindrops landed on her face. The Master Hands then smashed through the walls so that the floor could fall from the sky. Ultima watched as her own brother, the Lord of Light, look down upon her in such a cruel-hearted manner. How could she have been so neglectful? The warning given to her by the Minister of the Wyverns and the Queen of the Winged Unicorns was all true. She had even let Lord Ceresor down… everyone she understood. Before she hit the earth down below, the Smash Ball flashed red again, and Kirby's vision was over for now.

* * *

"Kirby! Kirby!" Sonic shouted, shaking the pink puffball awake. "We can really use some help here!" While Kirby was unconscious, he and Sonic escaped from the Mimicutie with Chrom, who was already free. However, the entire team was surrounded by possessed Mii Brawlers, Supporters, and too many Subspace Army troops to count. Hundreds of them had surrounded the fighters by the lake, and they were just about to fall in. Link looked behind into the murky water, noticing a faint gleam of light deep within.

 _Dive in with whatever bravery is in your hearts_ , Link thought. _That's it!_ The Champion of Hyrule jumped right into the lake, swimming deep into the water.

"Link, what are you doing!?" Mario called out, with Toon Link grabbing the red plumber and diving in. All the fighters were soon falling deep into the lake, including the Inkling once she noticed it wasn't toxic. The Pokémon Trainer noticed this and called back his Charizard, placing all three Pokéballs into his backpack and cannonballing. Only Incineroar and Sonic remained near the edge, still fighting back. Fox McCloud went back up for a breath of fresh air, coming out just in time as Incineroar went like "whatever" and belly-flopped into the lake even though water can kill Fire-type Pokémon.

"Sonic, we have to go!" Fox called out, swimming close to the glitching blue hedgehog as the enemies got closer.

"I can't swim, remember!?" Sonic snapped, about to lose his balance as he unleashed magical blasts at the hordes of enemies. The Star Fox mercenary simply did not care as he grabbed ahold of Sonic's quills and pulled him deep into the lake. In the murky water, Fox carried Sonic along with him through a secret passage in the lake. The fighters kicked as hard as they could, some of them allowing each other to be carried along with the strong current. But it seemed like it was too strong. For one, most of the fighters got to the other side, but Clementine was harshly stabbed in the chest with a sharp rock wedged in the passage, orange ink spilling out from her wounds. The current was also powerful enough to separate Sonic from Fox, carrying the Star Fox leader as well as the other Smashers up to the surface while the blue hedgehog was rammed into rocks mixed with algae.

The group swam onto shore, wringing their clothes and shaking their bodies to spray water all over the place. Incineroar was feeling rather weak from swimming in the water, so Red called Charizard to breathe fire onto the Pokémon's doused "belt". Once the belt warmed up and ignited into flames again, Incineroar got back up good as new.

"Sonic and the Inkling are still down there!" Fox coughed, panting badly. "I have to save them!" The fighters didn't bother stopping Fox as he dived into the water to get the glitching hedgehog and Clementine.

Sonic was struggling to breathe as he tried to swim up to the surface, unlucky to do so due to his inability to get out of the water. As soon as the carbon dioxide was building up in his lungs to the point where he needed fresh air, Sonic began glitching again, opening his eyes and using the Water Rainbolement to shoot himself through the depths. He shot straight for Clementine, who was near dying. Once the hedgehog grabbed ahold of the bleeding Inkling, Fox grabbed ahold of the two fighters and swam up to the surface with them.

Fox and Sonic gasped for air once they bursted through the water, with the Inkling wounded enough to the point where she cannot open her mouth and breathe. Fox paddled with the two fighters to shore, resting on his back exhausted. Sonic groaned as he clenched his stomach, his internal organs stuffed with water from how long he had been down there.

"Clementine!" Eleven gasped, running right next to the wounded Inkling. The Luminary quickly began casting healing spells, but they weren't strong enough to repair the large gash in Clementine's chest. Sonic, though weakened and heavy by the water, tried running to the Inkling before Fox stopped him.

"Who knows how much damage the lake did to you?" Fox warned. "Using your powers now might not be the best option…"

"She's dying!" Sonic snapped, growling under his breath and pushing Fox away to heal the Inkling. The glitching blue hedgehog got right next to dying squid girl, shoving the Hero aside.

"What the-? What the hell?" Ireburn asked. Sonic tried combining the healing spell of the Life Rainbolement with the Thunder one, attempting on creating some sort of massive shock wave to repair the Inkling altogether. As soon as the combined powers touched Clementine's chest, the wound was healed, and the Inkling gasped for breath. The weakening of his powers combined with the water filling Sonic's lungs and stomach created a painful churning inside him to the point that he had to let it out. The blue hedgehog opened his mouth, gagging at the water being pushed out through his oral and nasal cavities. Chunks of pre-digested food were mixed with the water, creating some sort of disgusting body waste. The glitching blue hedgehog began coughing and throwing up more, the texture and taste of the vomit grossing him out to the point that Fox went in and gently patted his blue back.

"Let it all out, buddy," Fox reassured the teenage fighter. Once Sonic finished puking, there was a vile smell that infected his poor taste buds and nostrils as the vomit was dripping out.

Shaking and frightened, Sonic leaned in close to Fox McCloud, tears dripping from his eyes and mixing with the droplets of vomit from his mouth and nose. The blue hedgehog began to cry, glitching as he hugged the Star Fox mercenary deeply. The other fighters went silent as they waited until Sonic the Hedgehog got over the traumatic event.


	67. Pt 67: The Young Hero of Time

Once things seemed to have calmed down, the team members of Group A traveled down a path made out of sticks and twigs, keeping a cautious eye out for any enemies. Sonic stepped close to Fox, his discolored eyes looking down on his stained white gloves. The stench that he spilled over them was lasting so long he wanted to throw up again.

"You okay?" Fox asked, placing his hand on the back of Sonic's head. The glitching hedgehog looked at the newcomers and veterans the team brought along – Chrom, Zelda, the Mii Brawler now identified as Sieg, Joker, the Hero, and now Banjo & Kazooie.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic sighed, feeling terrified of this strange, vast prison known as Hyrule 2.0. Mario, who was watching Sonic this whole time, turned towards Chrom.

"Anything on your mind, Mario?" Chrom asked.

"I wonder if there's a way to get Sonic back," Mario sighed. "I'm talking about the 'cool dude with the bad attitude' hedgehog we had known for ten years, not the lost warrior of an extinct species of dragons we had no idea existed…"

"I just woke up free from Dharkon, but I understand how you feel," Chrom responded. "Besides, we're finding the right paths to find your young Hero of Hyrule. I'm sure Sonic can find the answers on his own with our help and guidance." Just then, Zelda, Sheik, Link, and Toon Link all stopped in front of the group, making their friends come to a grinding halt. They had stumbled across a giant log blocking the path, its branches and roots entangling with the sides of the road.

"Why don't we just go around?" Sonic asked when he saw the roadblock, looking at a brown-coated rabbit hopping off the road next to the giant log. Suddenly, the rabbit found itself sinking into the wet ground, with jagged teeth laying rows upon rows of circles surrounding the tiny rodent. A Like Like emerged from the ground, swallowing the rabbit whole.

"That's why," Banjo answered. "Kazooie and I have taken a tour around the Lost Woods for quite a while and know the place's strengths and weaknesses."

"Then I guess we'll have to-a burn it," Mario noted, the palms of his hands coated in flames. The red plumber pressed his hands against the giant log, burning it into ashes with a simple touch. All the Smashers saw in the area they found was a small sword wedged into a pile of grassy dirt, covered in vines.

"It's the Kokiri Sword," Link told his friends. "Young Link shouldn't be far off…" The silence grew over the part of the Lost Woods, with the fighters getting ready to fight for whoever is here, including the Young Link Primary. Within a minute, Joker was ready for another ambush.

"I'm betting 500 Spirit Points that someone's gonna attack us out of nowhere and get the jump on us…" Joker chuckled, approaching a strange noise he somehow heard. The Phantom Thief then slashed at the bushes with his knife, and a strange figure with the violet eyes jumped out, surprising the other fighters and grabbing the Kokiri Sword midair. A green beacon similar to when Zelda was discovered flashed bright into the dark sky. Tons of possessed Mii Brawlers emerged from the bushes, surrounding the whole group with the captured fighter. From the image flashing on the Young Link Primary's chest, the team of fighters saw the Master Legendary Spirit of the Skull Kid with Majora's Mask on his face.

"I'll get that clone of mine!" Toon Link exclaimed as he rolled his shoulders. "You guys take care of the Mii Fighters!" The cartoon Hero of the Winds dashed right at the Young Link Primary, their swords clanging against each other. Fox and Sonic stood back-to-back, with the Star Fox mercenary firing his blaster at the approaching Mii Brawlers while the glitching speedster sent out powerful lightning clouds that electrocuted more of the possessed warriors. Zelda and Sheik assisted Link with their spells and needles, and Banjo pulled out Kazooie and swung her around to hit more Mii Brawlers.

While the intense battle was going on between the fighters and the corrupted Mii Brawlers, the ex-Brawler Ultimate Reborn felt a strange kind of power surging through him. It was the same as when Gilbert and Sherry went up against their own classes when the Mii Fighters fell under Galeem's tyrannical rule. It was the Smash Ball awakened within the Mii Brawler.

"Sieg!" Mario called out, noticing the Mii Brawler appear with a rainbow aura and golden eyes. "Whatever happened to you, use it on the Mii Brawlers! Free the last classes still under control from their prison!" Sieg nodded and dashed faster than Sonic ever could. The Final Smash within him was activated, and managed to grab all the possessed Mii Brawlers. The other fighters stopped fighting as they watched the ex-Ultimate Reborn toss the corrupted Mii Fighters and went into the best part of his Final Smash: Omega Blitz. Sieg rapidly jabbed the Mii Brawlers in the air with flashing punches and kicks, damaging the entire clan of Miis to the point that the Spirits possessing each of them were almost launched out. With one final blow, the ex-Ultimate Reborn used a powerful spike from his hands and punched all the Mii Brawlers into the ground, knocking out all the Spirits that had possessed them in the first place.

Sieg's Final Smash was finished, and he landed on the ground softly. All of the Mii Brawlers in the area groaned as they looked around the part of the Lost Woods, curious about what happened.

"Thank Hylia that's over," Sheik sighed, taking a breather and sitting down on the soft moss. Soon, the Spirits they rescued all entered inside Kirby's body, and the fighters all sat down and rested. However, they were starting to remember something.

"Where's Toon Link?" Sonic asked.

* * *

While the other Smashers were busy with the fight against the Mii Brawlers, the Young Link Primary had just teleported Toon Link into a Final Destination version of the Great Bay via vortex. Now they had engaged in a fight of raining arrows, boomerangs, and ignited bombs. They seemed to show no signs of stopping with their projectile spamming, and they both got to their opponent at kill percent. Toon Link knew all he had to do was make the first move to break the loop of which alternate timeline Link was better at camping. The Hero of the Winds then crouched, holding his shield up and slowly approached the Young Link Primary. When the captured fighter became exhausted after shooting so many flaming arrows and throwing a ton of boomerangs and bombs, he suddenly noticed Toon Link's shield was invincible against those projectiles, and it was too late.

Toon Link pulled out his clawshot and grabbed ahold of the Young Link Primary. Since the captured fighter was at a kill percent, the Hero of the Winds tossed the Hylian boy into the blast zone and won the battle, freeing Young Link from Dharkon's grasp. Afterwards, there was no time for a roulette as Toon Link found himself carrying Young Link with a green barrier flashing where the boy raised by Kokiris was defeated. Toon Link was teleported back to his friends in the Lost Woods. Joining with the two Link boys was the Skull Kid Spirit and the red mist of the Dharkon Lock. The red mist surrounded Sonic's face, returning more of his memories. So far, Sonic started seeing glimpses of his past, mostly involving Snake who found him before he left and his encounter with Wolf and Jigglypuff. Together, the three fighters had discovered a hiding place of the Mii Fighters, filled with the mute warriors from before. They were led by the Ultimates that were killed before, who kept their faces hidden. They welcomed the anthropomorphic fighters into their hideout located in a giant cave, revealing they had interlocked stargates with the Isle of the Ancients, transferring supplies and minerals between each other. When the Isle was destroyed, the Ultimates were just having their children, which cried for the first time in millennia. Sonic, Wolf, and Jigglypuff had to make the mute Mii Fighters escape before they were rest like the Ancients, and the Ultimates told them they would never speak of this again for fear of their identity and secrets being exposed. The explosion that had entered into the hideout provided a gateway into Subspace for the three Smashers, and this is where Sonic met up with the fighters before they faced against Tabuu. The rest he could remember was over for now.

Once the red mist finished with Sonic's amnesia curing, it reunited with the Skull Kid Spirit, entering inside Kirby and giving him another glimpse of Faker's past.

* * *

The pink puffball was woken up by a violent thunderstorm. Kirby, terrified out of his little wits, looked around the dark night and saw the heavy rain falling around the shattered floor of Ceresor's treasure vault that had hit a barren field. Human artifacts and electronic machines have been demolished, with books ripped apart and soaked wet and motorcycles blown to bits. Kirby then headed to where Ultima was pinned down, for he knew what happened to her.

As the pink demon approached Ultima, he saw her royal armor cracked and rusted, the two heavy rocks crushing her wings on each of her sides. The sheer impact of the floor colliding with the earth below created a reaction that knocked the dragoness out. She gasped as soon as woke up, straining herself as she tried to push away the rocks holding her wings down. The Queen of Arcus used her fore legs and grinded her claws opposite of each other, creating some sort of explosive energy in her palms. She heated up the rocks from inside and made them combust, spreading dust and pebbles everywhere. The rain drenched her black scales as she winced in pain from her hurting wings, dragging on the ground as she limped towards all that remained of Ceresor's greatest gifts: the memorials of the legendary warriors of the past and Adstrumlestibus, the Core of the First Star. Her legs were shattered, her skull broken. She only walked a few feet before she succumbed and began to cry from the intense pain. Her tears mixed with the large raindrops rolling down on her royal armor, and she was overcome with guilt. She looked up into the dark of the night, noticing that the Sky Temple was completely gone.

"This is all my fault!" Ultima cried to no one. "If I had just killed the black mist with the pink slime where he stood, none of this would have happened! I lost my own brothers to the Mother's dirty will! I wish I would know who she is and murder her in cold blood! Whatever happened to friends till the end!? Galeem… Phoenix… I couldn't save them… I'm sorry I failed you, Lord Ceresor. I'm not fit to be a ruler." Ultima grabbed her armor by her mouth and cast it aside by her feet, weeping as though she had no idea what to do.

"Almighty Father…" Ultima continued, still crying. "If You do exist, if You really are out there… if You do love us like with the humans, why did You allow this to happen!? Why would You let my own brothers, the Lords of Light and Darkness, the pinnacle of balance in many universes, to rest everything and turn on each other like this!? Give me a sign so I can stop them in Your Name!" The thunder rolled and crackled in the sky, with the rain pouring as heavy as before. Ultima curled herself up, wincing in sobs as she rested her numb wings by her sides.

"Please…" Ultima whispered as she looked up into the sky. "There has to be a way to end all this… To end this war. Not just with the darkness and light, but the final battle to end all final battles. I need a gleam of hope…" The dragoness hung her head low, weeping silently against the thundering rain.

As soon as things seemed dark, all three of the First Ultimates appeared right in front of her. The spectrum-winged Dragosmo stopped crying as she slowly looked up, she noticed the Mii Fighters in front of her. More of the steampunk Brawlers, Swordfighters, and Gunners were right behind them. Ultima, standing up, heard a familiar noise of the Shadow Bugs right behind her. The creatures from the pit of Ginnungagap formed into their solid appearances, ready to give up their lives. A Primid in front of the creatures was holding a familiar black stone: the Heart of Hycto.

"We heard your cries, and we answered, carrying with us the Heart of Helio," the First Mii Gunner Ultimate told the Queen of Arcus. The ruler of that class was carrying some sort of white gemstone in her left hand identical to the Heart of Hycto.

"We now see what the light and darkness mean: light represents peace and darkness represents freedom, not simply order and chaos," the First Mii Brawler Ultimate said. "The light and the darkness both make us whole, and we can balance the two waving forces. The fate of our universe and many other universes rests in our hands! Our blood! Our tears! If they want to burn us away, let them try!" The Mii Fighters and the creatures made from Shadow Bugs cheered, and Ultima was starting to calm down. The raining seemed to have gotten lighter as she looked back on Adstrumlestibus, which was resting in the remaining golden branches of the tree it rested in.

"Thank you… O Holy One…" Ultima whispered as she continued staring at the Core of the First Star. Once the war chanting from both sides of Ginnungagap overlapped each other, Kirby felt the Smash Ball on his forehead gleam again, and his mind was sent back to the Sacred Land found in Draxia.

* * *

Kirby had already woken up before his friends managed to help get him back up. It seems as though the pink puffball was getting used to these kinds of visions, and he managed to wake up in time to see the three Links look at their hands, with Link himself being the only one to look at his right hand instead of his left.

The completed Triforce of Courage shined green, its light shining throughout the Sacred Land. From a good perspective, the fighters saw the stone blocking the path to the Master Sword had vanished, meaning it was time to go up and grab the legendary weapon. The Mii Brawlers that were rescued by their respectful ex-Ultimate Reborn were starting to wake up, with the Spirits that had possessed them by each of their sides.

"We did it," Sieg sighed, panting after he used that powerful Final Smash to rescue his people. The Spirits that were freed soared into the air, some entering Kirby's body.

"Now I suppose that's left is to grab the sword, rescue Ganondorf, and complete the Triforce," Zero Suit Samus responded. "Shouldn't be too hard as before… right?" The fighters, both reawakened and previously captured, then headed back to the temple in the center of the Sacred Land, ready to find out more about the original of Galeem and Dharkon from the pink demon.


	68. Pt 68: The Master Sword

As the fighters managed to climb up to the top to the large temple, the Mii Brawlers that were rescued stayed behind, keeping a watchful eye over the Sacred Land. The Smashers looked up at the Master Sword, stuck in the stone and waiting for a chosen hero to pull it out.

"I guess it's up to me to get that sword out," Link told the group. "You guys wait for me until I get it out." The fighters kept silent as they know the Champion of Hyrule would be going up to pull out the Master Sword. To make it clear for them, he pretty much is a brave warrior chosen by the gods to defeat evil.

"Anybody wanna go up there and keep Link company?" Fox asked. "I get a feeling the Master Sword is a booby trap as intense as back in the Lost Woods." None of the other fighters didn't feel like doing it mainly because they were just doing their job. Most of them weren't really special ones.

"I get that some of us are chosen heroes, but I don't think we're classified as 'chosen by the gods'," Marth spoke. "I only had to save my land from an evil sorcerer…"

"I found out I was reincarnated in the Hom species as a god of the Bionis," Shulk replied. "I think I would be special enough to go up there and accompany Link for a while."

"So who's brave enough to be with Link in this mission…?" Mario asked.

"Okay, fine," Sonic responded, glitching like crazy again. "I'll do it. I basically have no memory of what happened for who knows how long after this whole world fell into destruction. The least I should do is help Link pull out that sword and g-g-g-g-get rid of this goddamn glitch infecting me. The Master Sword removes all curses, so my glitch won't be any different…" The blue hedgehog climbed up the stairs, clenching his chest as he glitched again. Fox knew that Sonic isn't be able to protect himself in this state, and the anthropomorphic mercenary followed behind the blue hedgehog.

"Thanks for staying by my side," Link spoke as soon as he saw the two animal fighters walk up to him. The Champion of Hyrule approached the Master Sword, grabbing the stuck weapon by its handle. Just as Link was pulling out the blade, Sonic felt special vibrations from within the Master Sword as it grinded against the stone holding it in place. For whatever reason, Sonic's cursed powers were active, even when he was idle. It seemed as though he could see everything with the ability of vibration-sensing: Link pulling up the Master Sword, Fox McCloud brushing his bushy tail behind his bionic legs, and… an approaching enemy ready to strike above the Champion of Hyrule!?

The blue hedgehog suddenly knew what was about to happen next as the unseen enemy thrusted his blade downward, aiming for Link's head. Sonic glitched right behind the Hylian before he could pull up the Master Sword, throwing him to the side and quickly grabbing ahold of the weapon that was about to hit Link.

The glitching blue hedgehog felt the familiar texture of the blade. He cannot quite remember it, but it was something he saw before. The thickness, the sharp edge, the Primary that was staring into his eyes. It could only be…

"Cloud Strife!?" Link asked, pulling out his Master Sword (the one he always had and not the one in the pedestal) and Hylian Shield. The Cloud Primary twirled his Buster Sword, pushing Sonic on the ground.

"Good to see you again… Link," Sephiroth's voice spoke from the Cloud Primary, proving it was the one-winged angel behind the possession of the 1st-class SOLDIER. "So you're here to stop Galeem's dirty work and let Dharkon rule supreme?"

"We're not here to let one or the other rule," Fox growled, pulling out his blaster and pointing it at the captured fighter. "They're both tyrants in our eyes that deserve to die!"

"And we're here to rescue our friends!" Link responded. "You pretty much have one of them, Sephiroth!"

"So… you want a fight?" the Cloud Primary asked, his Buster Sword scraping the stone floor laden with moss. "Well come and get it." Link dashed towards the Cloud Primary, the two swordfighters clashing swords with each other. While they began fighting, a vortex sucked the both of them into yet another stage, leaving Fox and Sonic to fight an incoming wave of Spaaks and Buckots flying overhead through a cloud of Shadow Bugs that formed above them.

"Shouldn't we let our friends know about this?" Sonic asked, standing back-to-back with Fox while igniting his fists in electricity.

"Nah, it's fine," Fox answered. "We can take care of these guys on our own. All we have to do is be like Falco and prefer the air." And that is what the two anthropomorphic fighters did. Fox ignited himself in flames and flew through the Buckots while Sonic zipped in-between the Spaaks until they became black puffs of smoke. All in all, it was a tame battle for the animal Smashers.

* * *

Link woke up next to a glowing-green building littered with pipes and large circuits surrounded on all sides by a city fueled by its sources. It was the Final Destination version of Midgar, and the Cloud Primary was ready to attack no matter what the cost. Link's boomerang clashed with the captured fighter's only projectile: a beam stemming from the Buster Sword. The Champion of Hyrule began dashing after the Cloud Primary, his Hylian Shield grinding against the huge weapon's blade. The captured fighter pushed Link until the Hylian was leaning backward. Link still would not back down as he tossed a blue remote bomb at the Cloud Primary's feet before detonating it with his Sheikah Slate, knocking the possessed ex-mercenary onto his behind.

By that time, the Cloud Primary had just charged his Limit Gauge to max, and he was ready to unleash a charged special, either one going to do massive knockback. Link suddenly knew the captured fighter's gauge was on a time limit of fifteen seconds before he can use it, so the Hylian quickly camped at the edge of the stage with arrows, boomerangs, and bombs to knock the Cloud Primary off-stage. Link ran off when he was just one second too late as the captured fighter used Limit Climhazard to boost himself back onto the Midgar stage and thrusted his Master Sword downward, hitting an easy spike the moment the Cloud Primary used his up-special. Now the explosion occurred in the blast zone of the stage, with Link emerging victorious.

A Spirit Sniper appeared in Link's hand as he found himself levitating in front of Cloud Strife's unconscious body protected by Sephiroth's Spirit.

"Try to get your friend back to his body now!" the Sephiroth Spirit snarled as he created the blue barrier that spinned faster than before, keeping in mind of the light burning away the background. "You had already broken so many rules of this world due to your rebellious attitude! Dharkon will rule supreme!" Once the Master Legendary Spirit finished, Link fired the special weapon through the barrier, hitting Cloud and saving his friend as well as Sephiroth who possessed him.

* * *

While all that was going on, Fox and Sonic had just taken care of the last Spaaks and Buckots, watching as the Shadow Bugs that created those monstrosities retreated from the small part of the temple. Fox grabbed ahold of Sonic and rubbed his head, with the blue hedgehog laughing in a carefree manner.

"Nice job, kid," Fox congratulated, letting go of Sonic as the glitching hedgehog adjusted his quills. "Even if you can't remember the last fraction of your past, you're certainly improving on those elemental powers of yours."

"Thanks, buddy," Sonic responded. "I just wish I could return to normal… and figure out what happened to me. I at least know I wasn't always like this…" The Star Fox mercenary patted the hedgehog's back, making the speedy devil feel a little better. The portal opened up in front of the Master Sword stuck in the stone, and Link emerged, carrying Cloud Strife's body on his shoulders. The shattered Dharkon Lock and Sephiroth Spirit emerged from the vortex, with the red mist restoring the last of Sonic's memories as it swirled around his mismatched eyes.

The blue hedgehog started remembering what happened ten years after the events of the Subspace Army, which included: his false visions of Hella, his travels around the world he was trapped in along with many other individuals, then dubbed Arcadia – the World of Trophies, the survival against the growing Subspace Army and a new race known as the Mii Fighters, who had quickly forgotten the events of what happened to their hideout and are led by the children of the Ultimates, and most importantly… what happened after he was one of the unfortunate souls to encounter Galeem and Dharkon and fall under their rule for another ten years, his Fighter Spirit banished to exile and later captured, tortured, and… ruined. As soon as the red mist left Sonic's face, he had finally managed to catch up to what is happening right now. All he had to do now was discard the glitch slowly devouring his body. Surely that would get rid of the Rainbolements he was cursed with… right?

Next to the Triforce, the fighters saw Cloud's Dharkon Lock and the Sephiroth Spirit float above them, entering inside Kirby and giving the pink demon another vision.

* * *

Kirby opened his golden eyes, looking down on his stubby arms that glowed with the rainbow aura surrounding his body. The bright sun flashed above him, forcing Kirby to shield his face from the blink light. As his vision adjusted, Kirby found out he was back at the Mii Fighter city surrounding Ginnungagap, the Pit of Ice and Fire. The alien boy noticed he was lying in front of the main hall, where the Mii Fighters and Shadow Bugs were carrying the remains of Galleom, with the bones, flesh, and organs staying intact. For the first time, these two sentient species set aside their differences and had decided to work together for what they believed was right.

"Finally," Ultima sighed as soon as she saw the two species carry Galleom's demolished body through the door. The Queen of Arcus was helping the Shadow Bugs and the Mii Fighters prepare for the fight against Galeem and his Master Hand army, and all the Miis that could not fight were forced to train until they learned how to handle a pair of fists, a sword, or an arm cannon, whether each weapon was of their choice or not. They laid the body of the last Heliotrope Titanoboa in existence on a large steel table, with parts of a strange body of armor gathered up into a pile next to the dead snake.

Ultima dug through the pile to find many different parts, and she used the Earth and Life Rainbolements to breathe some sort of spell on the armor to bring life back to Galleom. The Mii Fighters then arranged the suit of armor in a way that it was more simian than serpentine, and the Shadow Bugs preformed a special surgery to fuse Galleom's head and organs to the robotic body via wires. Once the two sides were finished, the suit powered on, and Galleom woke up as though he had been brought back to life. As Kirby had seen, the Heliotrope Titanoboa had been brought back into the simian cyborg he and his friends had faced before, who was starting to get used to the fact that he had additional limbs. Whatever scraps of the armor remained was salvaged into weapons for both Mii Fighters and Shadow Bugs.

"I guess I got Galleom out of the way," Ultima told the First Ultimates.

"Yeah, but the real problem is how he would stand up against your brother," the First Gunner Ultimate Reborn stated. "In order to defeat him, you would probably need some kind of superweapon. The raw power feeding him is anything stronger than our technology could go up against." The Queen of Arcus looked at the three cases that each of the stones were sealed in: the Hearts of Helio and Hycto and the Light of the First Star. That was when Ultima remembered something from her past.

" _They will fall, and balance will be restored, but not by your fangs. Only through summoning the warriors of the past will our legacy be able to survive. All you need is the hearts of the planets in our solar system, the stones of darkness and light, and a gift from an all-powerful deity; combine them all into one and you can draw in fighters of many universes."_ That was what she remembered from the Queen of the Winged Unicorns. However, it was enough to persuade her what to do next.

"Ancient scriptures tell of combining powerful gems during when all of the planets in our solar system align," Ultima told the First Ultimates. "When's the next one?"

"Only two days away after a thousand years since the last one," the First Brawler Ultimate responded. "We were just going to celebrate the Mii Solstice by then. Why?" The Queen of Arcus sinisterly grinned with an idea burning in her head, an idea on how to win this fight.

"I'll be back by then," Ultima answered, spreading her wings. "Train Galleom and all of the other Mii Fighters until I return, okay?" Her spectrum wings began reflecting the sunlight beaming from the stain-glass windows, flashing in all colors of the rainbow. The scars on her eyes glowed too, an aura of gold and violet forming around her body. The Queen of Arcus dashed high into the air, passing through the building's roof like a ghost and flapping her wings fast enough to escape her home planet.

Her first destination was Ignisu, home of the Lava Blobs and the Fire Ruby. She landed on the rough, rocky surface of the planet and flew towards a nearby town made out of dirt huts. The dragoness approached the civilians and spoke with them to join her side in payment for their prized jewel for a ritual of the planetary alignment to stop Galeem's rule, speaking in a powerful speech. Shortly after, the Lava Blobs accepted her offer and gave her the Fire Ruby, and Ultima spawned portals to take them to Arcus before she flew off to the next planet.

When Ultima arrived on Chikuo, she was rather surprised at the orange sky on the jagged planet, with crystallized plants already sprouting and glass towers peaking out over the atmosphere. The dragoness approached the Crystal Sharkanoids and told them about the upcoming event, and they offered to give her the Earth Citrine for that.

On Raifujin, Ultima dashed towards the tower where the Thunder Heliodor and all of the empire's ancient technology was kept, knowing the robots that remained had long-forgotten their true purpose of the tyrannical rule. She found where the yellow gemstone was held and took it out of its container. She then broke open the cases where the ancient weapons were and dragged them all through the portals she created back to Arcus before she flew to another planet once more.

The Queen of Arcus arrived in Yangkatzu, scaling the colossal trees as she warned the Plant Wyverns that lived in them about the upcoming conflict. The message spread like wildfire, and their minister managed to give her the Life Emerald when he knew what Ultima had seen before they went to her planet. On Kukikaze, the Wind Amphitheres received the news about Galeem and gave Ultima the Air Topaz.

The dragoness dived in the deep waters and walked across the icy surface of Mizuku, telling the Ocean Mogogols and all of the creatures living underneath the cold sheets about what's to come. They agreed once they saw she had become royalty and offered to give her the Water Sapphire. Her last stop was at Majikku, where she barged into the tree where the Queen of the Winged Unicorns and her people resided. They were throwing some sort of celebration of anniversary for their leader's reign, with the satyrs dancing in rhythm while playing their flutes, the fairies strumming various instruments like harps and guitars, and other woodland creatures using strange and peculiar things as drums and such. When Ultima entered, she crashed the party and she gave them the urgent message of Galeem and his betrayal. Despite the Queen of Arcus interrupting their celebration, the citizens of Majikku were quickly forgiving once they heard the terrible news.

"I'm glad you have finally seen the future," the Queen of the Winged Unicorns telepathically spoke after giving Ultima the Magic Amethyst. "Now it is time for us to take up arms and fight by your side."

Once Ultima had managed to fly across the solar system for two days and convince all of the alien civilians to join her side, she transported both them and herself back to the hall in Ginnungagap. The Queen of Arcus met up with the First Ultimates outside, who were busy training Galleom and their Mii Fighter soldiers.

"You've arrived in time," the First Swordfighter Ultimate told the Queen of Arcus. "The sun is setting and the planets are about to align." The three Mii Fighter leaders handed Ultima the Hearts of Helio and Hycto as well as Adstrumlestibus, and she wasted no time snatching them from their hands and flying away from Ginnungagap.

Ultima arrived at the Cave of the Ancients with all the gemstones she had collected, and she headed to the stone table in the center of the huge cavern. The young and baby dragons gathered around, and Sozo was helping count each one of them to make sure none were missing or dead. Ultima laid out the stones she managed to collect. First, she placed the Core of the First Star in the center of the table. Then, Ultima laid out the Hearts of the Seraphim and the Rainbolement Jewels, unaware of what to do next.

"…If you need any help, just flip through this book," Sozo told Ultima, carrying a large book on his back. The book was old and dusty, but it was decorated with gold markings written under Ceresor's name. The Queen of Arcus laid it on a nearby pedestal and used telekinesis to flip through the pages until she found the spell to fuse powerful gems together. The writings were of foreign text, and all she had to do was surround Adstrumlestibus with the Fire Ruby, the Earth Citrine, the Thunder Heliodor, the Life Emerald, the Air Topaz, the Water Sapphire, and the Magic Amethyst and lift the Hearts of the Seraphim high enough in a way that they reflected the light of the stars into the large white core telekinetically. Ultima then watched as the planets she visited aligned in a perfectly straight line in the night sky, and the Hearts of Helio and Hycto gathered the lights from the cosmos and beamed them down upon the stones in rays of gold and violet. With precise reading, Ultima managed to translate the foreign reading and speak it out in the common tongue according to the spell.

 _Souls of the greatest angels_

 _Hear our plead_

 _Come to our aid_

 _In our time of need_

 _With the planetary alignment_

 _Gather the light_

 _Transfer it into the first star_

 _Help us win this fight_

 _Fuse with the stones_

 _That give us their power_

 _Create the ultimate stone_

 _In this finest hour!_

Once Ultima finished chanting, all the stones levitated in the air and swirled around each other, combining together into a big orb of light. Far away from the pit, at the floor the Queen of Arcus fell in, the statues of the fighters began flashing with golden-white eyes, feeling some sort of magic flow through them. The young dragons watched as the light calmed down, revealing a small, violet gemstone that gleamed with all the colors of the rainbow. Ultima watched as it slowly floated down to the stone table. Once it touched the gray slab, it appeared in a golden necklace exactly like the one Faker had. Surprised, Kirby coughed up the stone he swallowed and noticed how it was exactly identical to the one the amnesiac gave him. This stone really is something important after all. Finally, he knows, from the voice and everything, that Faker was once Ultima. As Kirby swallowed the gem he had again, he wondered: what happened to the dragoness if this all took place in the past…?

Ultima in the visions slipped the necklace on her, and she looked back at the dragonlings. She knew they were the last of their kind, and they needed to be taken somewhere safe. It was already bad enough when Phoenix turned insane.

"Sozo," Ultima asked, "is there a universe where these dragons can be safe?"

"There is one," Sozo answered. "It is a world far from the reaches of evil, in a place that Galeem has no knowledge of. They will be safe there. They may be able to alter through different chemistries and appearances, but they will be fine."

"Open the way," Ultima commanded. Sozo obeyed willingly and breathed out flames that curled up into a ring. An aura of light shone inside the ring, opening a gateway to the other world. Many of the dragonlings already went through to the other side, some carrying eggs. Josei and Ningyo were just about to walk through with the eggs of Glimmeress and Inkereign before Josei looked back at Ultima.

"What… What about you and Uncle Sozo?" Josei asked.

"Your mission in this world has been fulfilled," Ultima answered, rubbing her fore claw against the young dragoness' cheek. "Now it's time for the grown-ups to take care of our business. I hope you and your brother grow up into great leaders one day." Ningyo began whimpering with nasal whines after he dropped his puppet, and Ultima pushed the toy close to his feet, and the mentally retarded dragonling picked up the puppet with his mouth. Once Josei pushed the two eggs through the portal with all the others, she grabbed ahold of her brother and walked with him through the portal. As soon as all of the dragons in the cave left, the portal closed and only Sozo and Ultima remained.

"What we do, now that the dragonlings are gone?" Sozo asked.

"We fight," Ultima answered courageously. "We have all these different alien species by our side, and this - the Diamond of Universes – to lead them." Ultima clasped over the fused gemstone in front of her neck, feeling its raw power. "May the Almighty Father lead us to salvation."

The Smash Ball on Kirby's forehead flashed red again, and the environment around him became consumed by darkness. The pink puffball felt stiff again, and his vision was over for now.

* * *

The pink puffball woke up as soon as he began hearing the other fighters look at where the Cloud Primary was defeated, and they all ran up the stairs towards that spot. Kirby, aware of the situation, followed behind them.

Link was keeping Cloud's body upright after he had just rescued the 1st-class SOLDIER, with Sonic and Fox keeping watch for any more enemies. Cloud Strife slowly opened his eyes, his Mako-poisoned orbs flashing blue instead of the violet of Dharkon's control.

"…Link?" Cloud asked as soon as he saw the Champion of Hyrule holding him.

"Cloud!" Link cheerfully cried, hugging the 1st-class SOLDIER. Cloud Strife managed to sit up and get himself to stand, using the Master Sword's pedestal to balance himself. Fox McCloud and Sonic both ran to Cloud, hugging him tightly.

"We missed you so much, buddy!" Fox spoke.

"Glad to see you again!" Sonic remarked, glitching once he let go of Cloud. The 1st-class SOLDIER noticed the blue hedgehog acting rather peculiar, as though he was starting to fade from existence.

"What's wrong with him?" Cloud asked.

"Sonic has been infected with one of Dharkon's poisons," Link answered. "He also had amnesia, but we got that right back. However, that wasn't the problem. That glitch of his is linked to some sort of ancient power that's slowly destroying him, and we know that pulling out the Master Sword will cast away the darkness covering the top half of the Sacred Land as well as expel his curse."

"Basically… I'm running out of time," Sonic answered. Cloud Strife then turned around to look down at the Master Sword embedded in the pedestal, with Link standing by his side. The Hylian clothed in blue felt rather suspicious about this somehow.

"This… doesn't look right," Link said. "I have the true Master Sword here with me. There can't be another… unless this one can only be used to lead us the way to Ganondorf and free Sonic the Hedgehog from his curse. Should I do it?"

"You tell me," Cloud answered. "You are the Champion of Hyrule after all." Before Link was about to pull out the Master Sword, he backed away. The Hylian looked back at Sonic, watching as the blue blur was glitching his poor heart out.

"Sonic should do it," Link answered. "I know he's been waiting for this chance. Now it's time to give it to him…"

"M-M-M-M-Me?" Sonic asked, glitching between his sentence. "Okay. If it's what you want, it's what you get." The blue hedgehog approached the Master Sword stuck in the stone, grabbing the weapon by the handle and pulling it out. Once the blade ringed against the hole in the pedestal, rays of light shone in all directions from the Master Sword. The legendary weapon cast away all of the dark clouds covering the Sacred Realm, leaving a sky of morning dusk in its wake. Sonic groaned and cried for help as he succumbed to its mighty power. Fox, Cloud, and Link all ran up to Sonic, touching his back as a sign of asking if he was okay.

"C'mon, Sonic!" Fox spoke, noticing the hedgehog was in pain. "You need to drop the Master Sword…"

"I-I-I-I-I-I can't!" Sonic exclaimed, glitching as the handle of the Master Sword stuck to his hands like glue. "It won't let me go of it!" Sonic's mismatched irises shrunk with the pupils as the glitch inside him spiraled out of control, exiting out of his body and pulsing on his quill-covered skin. His hands literally absorbed the Master Sword, sparking up some sort of power. The three fighters who were with him backed away and drew their weapons for the creature they were about to see. Sonic began seeing scattered memories of what happened to him in the Dharkon Void, unable to get rid of this traumatic event out of his head.

 _Arise, my greatest warrior,_ Dharkon spoke in the hedgehog's mind. Sonic grasps his head as he felt a splitting headache and curled up on the floor. _The transformation is finally complete. Do what you were born to do and destroy all under my name!_ Sonic's heart began beating faster, and sweat dripped down his face as his elbows transformed into blades of the Master Sword. Claws began sticking out from his white gloves, tearing through the fabric until his hands were exposed. A row of dragon teeth formed in Sonic's mouth, and his ears and tail became pointier and longer. Horns curled up on his forehead, and wings looking similar to a bat's sprouted on his back. For one, many were expecting Sonic's transformation to be his Werehog form, but he became a draconic version of himself instead.

"Your will is my command, Seraph of Chaos," Sonic growled, opening his eyes. His scars glowed brighter until his discolored orbs turned into something completely different: Dharkon's eye for the right side of his face and Galeem's eye for his left.

"Oh, dear mother of Gaia," Cloud gasped, pointing his Buster Sword at the new and improved Sonic the Dragonhog, who crouched on the stone ground and spread his wings.

"I don't know what the hell you are… but you are not Sonic!" Fox snarled, firing his blaster rapidly. The lasers burned through Sonic's skin, and the blue hedgehog growled as he grabbed ahold of Fox McCloud and soared off into the large part of the Temple of the Master Sword. Mario and the gang arrived up the stairs just in time to see what happened to Sonic.

"After him!" Link exclaimed, pulling out his Master Sword and Hylian Shield and dashing downward towards the Dragonhog. The other fighters were met with all the Mii Brawlers they rescued, who heard Fox's screams for help and followed the flying hedgehog.

Sonic, now having transformed into a half-dragon, tossed Fox into the large part of the temple. This specific area was vast enough for a final battle to take place between man and monster. As Fox got up, Sonic the Dragonhog flew right at his face. Fox tried blocking Sonic's punches with his strong legs, but he soon saw a ball of fire about to fly out of the blue hedgehog's carnivorous incisors. A bottle of holy water hit Sonic's head, which bounced off him before breaking on the floor and exploding into a pillar of flames.

"PK Fire! PK Fire! PK Fire!" Ness shouted, sending out one column of fire after the other, trapping the Dragonhog in a loop of burning. Fox was glad to see his friends and the Mii Brawlers join his side, ready to get their friend back again. Sieg and the Mii Brawlers charged after Sonic, piling up on him and punching the Dragonhog relentlessly. However, his eyes glowed fiercely and he pushed the Miis off his back, roaring as he blasted huge pillars of fire at the troops. There were many being burned alive, some murdered from his elbow blades. The ex-Brawler Ultimate Reborn took note of this and began throwing bowling balls at the Dragonhog. Sonic's quills were as tough as iron when he curled up into a ball and began spindashing at the Mii Brawler, killing a few more of his people in the process.

The other Mii Fighters backed away when they knew what was going to happen to them, and Incineroar jumped in with a sumo slam. The Dragonhog flew out of the way from Mega Man's projectiles before he was caught by Incineroar's Alolan Whip move. The Pokémon threw Sonic into the sidelines of a wrestling ring, then charging headfirst into the corrupted Dragonhog. The transformed fighter ascended higher into the air, his bat-like wings creating a small hurricane around him. Thunder and hail rose from the icy winds he conjured, stunning more of the Mii Brawlers.

Snake began firing missiles at Sonic the Dragonhog, and Joker started shooting with his gun. A lead bullet nicked the tip of Sonic's ear, and the corrupted fighter looked down upon the Phantom Thief and mercenary. The Dragonhog then shot out a small flame which combusted into a large explosion, which killed off more Mii Brawlers. Joker and Snake got behind Ryu and Cloud, who kept their distance and spammed their projectiles. The Ice Climbers rode in on the back of the Pokémon Trainer's Charizard, and they were about to use their forward aerial until the Dragonhog simply swatted them away with his elongated tail. The Hero got up to Joker's side and began casting thunder, fire, and ice spells at the Dragonhog, with Kazooie flying as hard as she could to carry Banjo in front of her.

"Onward, Kazooie!" Banjo called out. The bear guided the Breegull towards the flying Dragonhog, who sent out a barrage of large hail at the duo. They were just about to get hit until PAC-MAN, the Duck Hunt team, and the ex-Ultimate Reborn used their neutral specials to distract the Dragonhog. This gave Kazooie a chance to cough up Blue Eggs at Sonic's face, and the draconic hedgehog fell to the ground. Captain Falcon and the Inkling began rapidly jabbing the Dragonhog before they were knocked back by his electrocuting body, with the two Zeldas and the three Links sending out their projectiles. Despite breathing out a wall of fire, Sonic the Dragonhog couldn't hold back Mario, who managed to control the rising flames and guide them back to the corrupted fighter. With his face burned, Sonic was susceptible to Fox, who jumped in front of him and winded up a powerful kick. For a brief moment, Sonic's eyes reverted back to normal… or the most normal he could get them with the violet and golden irises he had.

 _Fox…?_ Sonic thought before Fox kicked him in the face, knocking out the blades from the Dragonhog's elbows. The blades fused back together into the Master Sword, and Sonic's glitch leaked out with the mercury from the holes in the Dragonhog's elbows, spontaneously combusting once they were freed from Sonic's body. The draconic hedgehog clenched his stomach as a bright light surrounded his body, transforming him back to the way he was.

Once the light calmed down, some of the fighters gathered around Sonic's normal body while others helped Sieg attend to the surviving Mii Brawlers.

"Ugh… what happened?" Sonic asked, slowly getting up. As he placed his hand on his head, he felt the sharp claws still in his fingers dig through his quills. He quickly took them out shortly after the pain, and he looked at his friends in worry. After the glitch had been lifted by the Master Sword's blessing, the only things that remained of Sonic's dragon form were of his claws and fangs, both of which had shrunk a tad bit so he still looked like his original form. The blue hedgehog looked down at his shredded gloves, his heart trembling for what he did.

"What have I done?" Sonic whispered to himself as he looked at what he did to the Mii Brawlers. Mario, wanting to comfort the blue hedgehog, slowly approaching the speedy devil.

"Mario, please," Sonic cried. "I want you to stay away from me! I'm too dangerous!" A charged blast sparked out from his bare palms, and Mario quickly jumped out of the way in time. The blast covered up a good portion of the ground, which separated into seven elements, each with a different Rainbolement lingering behind. Terrified by this, Sonic quickly ran away at the speed of sound towards the nearest Sheikah Tower, which was right near the large area of the temple.

"Wait!" Mario called out, wanting to run towards the blue hedgehog before Fox stopped him. The anthropomorphic mercenary placed a hand on the red plumber's chest.

"I'll go talk to him," Fox sighed. The Star Fox mercenary ran towards the Sheikah Tower that Sonic went off to, even though he was slower than the blue hedgehog.

* * *

As time had passed, Fox McCloud climbed up to the top of the tower, confident he would find Sonic there.

"Sonic?" he asked, his eyes searching around the place. He then climbed up as soon as he saw Sonic the Hedgehog simply sitting on the railing of the Sheikah Tower, using his magical abilities to repair his white gloves. After they were completed, Sonic looked behind him without turning his head, sighing in defeat.

"Can't you tell I don't wanna talk right now?" Sonic softly asked.

"Sonic… I know what exactly happened wasn't your fault, and we're with you on that," Fox responded, slowly approaching the blue hedgehog.

"It's not as simple as you would think," Sonic said, still not looking at Fox. "It's… it's what Dharkon did to me. I know this is partially Galeem's fault, but Dharkon is the one to blame for all this."

"I probably won't count it as bad luck," Fox replied, climbing over the rail and sitting on Sonic's right. "You are hailed as a hero back in your homeworld, before it was destroyed by light and everything. People and animals refer to you as the fastest thing alive, and there are no other creatures in the multiverse that can reach up these top speeds. Now I guess you're enhanced by the soul of a Dragosmo. Bring it your planet and they'll look up to you as a god. It might not be so bad after all." Sonic, however, did not take that response lightly.

"But what if it's too much to handle being a god?" Sonic asked, looking Fox in the eye. "Do you think this is why Dharkon handed me these Rainbolements on a silver platter? For me to become as corrupt and domineering as those two brothers? Sooner or later, they're going to be in a war that involves all of us. And it doesn't matter which side wins. In the end, we all lose. Either Galeem or Dharkon will make me their most powerful guard, and I'll probably kill you all just like I almost did before."

"Sonic…" Fox wanted the blue speedster to stop talking.

"And even if we do win and we finally return home, no one's gonna recognize me the same. Even if I have some sort of cloaking device to hide my scars and powers, my friends will eventually recognize me and think I no longer have a use for them. I'll be left alone because my life is ruined from these powers and I'll turn as insane as those two dragons and-"

"Sonic!" Fox yelled, grabbing Sonic's shoulders and shutting him up. "Powers or no powers, you're still our friend. Even if your old ones leave you behind because they believe they're no longer special to you, we will still look after you no matter what the cost. These powers may be permanent and irreversible, but know that we're here for you till the end. Sooner or later, you'll have to get used to these new abilities. If there's anything I've learned from my father's death or even your escape from the Arcadian Hands, it's always expect the unexpected. We're all unique, but we're also the same."

"I… don't know what that means," Sonic scoffed, adjusting the quills on the back of his head.

"You will in time," Fox answered, hopping off the rails and landing inside the Sheikah Tower. Sonic landed on the stone floor shortly after, looking back at Fox McCloud. Fox held Sonic's chin, looking into those mismatched eyes of violet and gold that were filled with guilt.

"You're gonna be okay, kid," Fox told the hedgehog. "You'll make it through." Their black noses brushed lightly against each other, tickling a bit before the blue hedgehog hugged the older one of the two, staying up there for quite a while for Sonic to adjust to what happened to him, or at least until they decided to climb down the Sheikah Tower.

* * *

"I calmed the hedgehog down," Fox told his friends. "Hopefully he can use his powers to our advantage."

"Where did the Mii Brawlers go?" Sonic asked, wondering how all of the Mii Fighters except for Sieg vanished all of a sudden.

"They headed back to the Undying Light," the ex-Ultimate Reborn answered. "Due to many of them receiving several injuries, they had to leave the Sacred Land. Kirby gave his device away with a map to lead them to the ship. Hopefully they reunite with the Swordfighters and Gunners safely."

"Now that all this is out of the way, it's time to travel to the Gerudo Valley, save Ganondorf, and complete the Triforce," Sheik spoke, pointing to the highlands of the Black Desert as the large sun rose over the sandy horizon.


	69. Pt 69: The Gerudo Town

The sun that rose in the Gerudo Desert was much larger and dimmer than expected, only taking up a quarter of the sky with as much as an eighth of the average brightness. However, the top portion of the Sacred Land was scalding hot. The sand the fighters walked through burned their feet with blisters, and their backs became swollen with sunburns even with their clothes on to protect them.

Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Ness, Captain Falcon, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Zelda, Marth, Young Link, Chrom, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Snake, Pokémon Trainer, Sonic, Olimar, Toon Link, Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, PAC-MAN, Shulk, Duck Hunt, Ryu, Cloud, Inkling, Simon, Incineroar, Joker, Hero, Banjo & Kazooie, and Mii Brawler were losing a lot of water within their heavy sweating and needed to drink fast. Red's Squirtle and Sonic tried to create gushes of water as fast as they could to splash it on the Smashers, but they simply evaporated under the intense heat no matter how cold, even if Sonic would drop the water to absolute zero.

Olimar's helmet was fogging up with the sweat and water vaporizing from his breath, and not even one of the Fire Pikmin he brought along could stand the heat. Mr. Game & Watch was the first one to collapse under the burning sun, planting his monochromatic face in the rough, dry sand. Ness pulled off one of his shoes and hopped in place as he tried hitting the sand out of his shoes, and most of the fighters were just about to give up and roast in the desert like an overcooked salmon.

Sonic was the first one to go under a heat stroke, trying to keep himself together as he crouched and began to cool himself with his breath. Even if his gaze was away from the large sun, he could still feel the intense heat burning his quills and digging straight to the skin on his back. He thought he could already feel his pores about to squelch with boiling juices at this point.

"I can't take it anymore!" Sonic cried out, kicking the sand. "This journey is just too much for me to take in! I'm burning alive here!"

"Don't you think we all know how it feels?" Mario asked. "We're trying to search for the Gerudo Town and rescue Ganondorf. You could at least calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down!?" Sonic exclaimed. "Look around you! We're stranded in the middle of nowhere because of your broken compass!"

"People, please," Zelda responded. "There has to be a way around this besides fighting…"

"Sonic, we're tired and thirsty," Mario objected. "Too bad if your water powers don't work under this heat. The least you can do is suck it up."

"Oh, so you think we should just hold hands and live for the better!?" Sonic argued. "Well, it's not gonna work, buddy! We're gonna fry in the desert until we become burnt lumps of coal!"

"Mario! Sonic! Stop this arguing right now!" Shulk told them, getting between the two short fighters and breaking up the fight. "We've found an inn. We can refresh ourselves there."

"Beat it, blondie," Sonic growled, exposing his dragon fangs through his snarl. "It's only a mirage."

"No, really," Cloud answered, pointing to where he sees the inn. "Shulk has found a resting spot." The fighters looked not far off into the distance to see a desert inn, surprised it was only a few meters away from them. It was salvation for them at last as they headed to the building, glad that they did not die out in the sandy wasteland.

When they entered the place, they heard the ancient music of the Gerudo play throughout the inn. There were many Spirits hanging out in the building, especially some of the lovely Gerudo themselves. About to thirst to death, the group headed to the bar counter where the Gerudo bartender was serving up ice-cold drinks for refreshments. Unlike normal water, this kind of drink did not boil and evaporate under the sun's intense heat, meaning there must be some kind of enchantment cast over these beverages. As soon as the Gerudo bartender saw the tired travelers free from Dharkon's control, she instantly knew what they need. Mario grabbed a small bag of Spirit Points and plumped them on the counter, pushing it towards her with dry gasping.

"You parched goonies," the Gerudo bartender noticed. "I know just what you need to fix you up. And don't worry. It's 100% off for weary travelers like yourselves, so you can keep those Spirit Points." The bartender began pouring this magical water into different cups and passing each one to the fighters. It wasn't long before most of the Smashers began chugging down the drinks, satisfied as they say down to finish their cold cups.

Fox McCloud was about to take another sip from his drink until he saw Sonic the Hedgehog sitting at the bar table, isolated as he simply took a small sip from his water and laid it on the counter. The Star Fox mercenary approached the blue hedgehog, noticing how the speedster was no longer glitching thanks to the Master Sword of the Sacred Realm.

"Is something wrong, Sonic?" Fox asked, sitting next to the hedgehog.

"Nothing…" Sonic responded. "I... wanted to believe these Rainbolements aren't irreversible, but I'm clearly having a hard time adjusting. Half of them I don't even know how to use." Fox pushed his drink aside, thinking about how to take care of the teenage hedgehog.

"You've already got the tool essentials: your homing attack, your spin-dashing, your spring, your fast 0-to-death combos," Fox pointed out, counting his fingers. "Hell, I've got some myself. For reasons unknown, I can light up my body in flames to give me a higher air boost."

"Your fiery jumps are clearly inherited, and anybody in the Lylat System doesn't have those quite like you, Falco, and even Wolf O' Donnell," Sonic noted. "I can clearly create electrical static - not counting the Thunder Rainbolement - naturally whenever a negative influence in my memories and emotions spark up, and I can even stop time. I've been testing them ever since I grew up on another planet. The Rainbolements themselves were given to me against my will, not giving me days or even years to adjust to them. During those five years I was supposed to be training with them, Dharkon let my to hang like a butchered pig while the mixture he created changed me into... what you see today."

"...I can help you use these powers for the better," Fox told the blue hedgehog. "I may not know a whole lot about how the Dragosmos used to train, but I will teach you to the best of my ability. Just let me know you will always be by my side, no matter what." Sonic hugged the Star Fox mercenary, his face nuzzling deep into his chest.

"I won't let you down," Sonic responded.

"Uh, excuse-a me," Mario called out to the Gerudo bartender. "Is there a way to get to Gerudo Town?" The bartender turned around as she was cleaning a glass with a hand towel.

"Of course," the bartender answered. "It's just behind where you're facing the entrance of this inn. It's not too far off. Be careful on your way out." The red plumber then got of his seat and headed straight out of the way he and his friends came in, grabbing a few more of those enchanted drinks.

"Let's-a go," Mario told his group, patting Link on the back. The Champion of Hyrule got up from his seat and followed Mario out of the inn. Fox and Sonic saw the two mascots walk out and headed out, along with all the other fighters. After they entered outside, they went behind the inn to see the large walls surrounding the town of the women of the Black Desert. They made their way to the grand entrance, which had beautiful tapestries hanging inside the gate. Standing by the sides were tough-looking Gerudo Spirits who stood about seven feet tall, their veils covering their faces. They were holding partisans by their waists, and they pointed those weapons at the Smashers before they set foot in the gate.

"Halt, intruders," one guard spoke. "What brings you here?"

"We're here to talk to your leader," Zelda answered. "This is an issue concerning Ganondorf."

"Ganondorf… the traitor of the Gerudo," the other guard said, lowering her partisan. "Of course. Make sure it's urgent."

"Can do," Zero Suit Samus responded. "Are there any restrictions?"

"There are a few," one guard answered. "Even if we allow all species through our borders, we can only bring in vai, or females in our town. Any voe, or man, that enters Gerudo Town is captured and thrown out."

"Why?" Snake asked.

"Don't ask us," the second guard revoked. "We didn't make the rules. Plus, now that the darkness has been lifted from the Sacred Land, our desert is rising in degrees, and our payment for modified water has increased drastically, so everything seems more expensive after… the gold in our chieftess' vault has vanished. If you can get through the gate, then I hope you investigate. They could also be tied with the one you call Ganondorf."

"Sorry, Banjo," Kazooie told the bipedal bear, flying out from his backpack past the gate. Zero Suit Samus walked beyond the Gerudo guards, and Zelda was just about to take Sheik with her before the two were stopped by the partisans.

"Despite appearances, I'm actually a vai," Sheik objected. "If you like, I can show you-"

"No. It's fine," the Gerudo guards responded, lifting up their weapons and letting the two girls pass. The Inkling also went through, and so did Nana and the Wii Fit Trainer. The rest of the fighters couldn't go through.

"We'll meet up with you guys at the temple where the chieftess is… I hope," Zelda told the Smashers before she and the female fighters walked off into the town.

"This is ridiculous," Sonic sighed as he and his friends walked away from the gate. "We can't even go through because we're all boys. How do we get through the town…?"

"Maybe use you voodoo magic to turn us into the opposite sex?" Mega Man asked. "You're probably fused with the ghost of a dragon, so you can come up with something."

"Hey! I haven't gotten that far yet," Sonic answered. "There are so many limits I have no idea I can go to, and turning us into women is one of the many tricks I haven't learned so far." The blue hedgehog then managed to spot a large boulder hidden from the eyes of the Gerudo guards. This gave him an idea to make sure the women of the desert weren't suspicious.

"Follow me," Sonic told his buddies as he went behind the rock. The fighters followed behind the boulder, ready to find out what Sonic had in plan for them. The blue hedgehog popped his knuckles, ready to work his magic.

"I may not be able to turn us into girls… but I can make us some clothes to fool these women," Sonic told them, sparkles lingering from his hands as he was ready to use his newfound powers again.

"You're gonna make us as how I appeared when I dressed up to get into the town?" Link asked, aware of the upcoming situation. Before Sonic could answer, he unleashed a sparkling cloud on the ground, which created belly-dancer outfits that replaced their original clothes. Link appeared in his Gerudo outfit, and everybody else noticed they were dressed in the same dresses the Champion of Hyrule was wearing.

"Geez… why does shit always happen to me…?" Sonic asked with exhaustion. As soon as the sparkling cloud vanished, the fighters saw what appeared to be Sonic, except he was dressed in pink belly-dancer clothing with golden markings, high heels that replaced his usual red shoes, and a magenta-colored hairstyle that mimicked the Gerudo flawlessly while lacking the veil everyone else had. Plus, the blue hedgehog had violet eye shadow, mascara, golden earrings, and blue lip gloss.

"I… feel uncomfortable," Sonic groaned, unable to move in the new clothes he conjured upon himself. Some of the fighters were rather shocked by what the speedster was wearing, trying to hide their expressions behind their veils.

"Okay… I really don't have to say this…" Fox sighed, taking deep breaths as he covered his face with his hands. "You look adorable in that outfit!" The other Smashers agreed with the Star Fox mercenary, thinking the blue hedgehog was rather cute.

"Shut up, guys!" Sonic lashed, his cheeks shown to be burning red as he was embarrassed. "I feel more like a response to fanservice!"

"At least be glad it's not a time like when Kazooie and I got fat," Banjo responded. The other fighters looked at the anthropomorphic bear, confused and weirded out, not wanting to hear about that again.

"Regardless, I suppose we should go through the town and hope none of the Gerudo see through our disguises and throw us out…" the Mii Brawler told them. "Besides, I think we can handle the desert heat in these dresses." The fighters nodded in agreement and headed towards the gate, hoping the guards didn't notice them go behind the boulder and crossdress. The guards pointed their partisans at the dressed-up fighters again. Their expressions changed from serious to flustered in just a few seconds.

"Oh… sweet mother of Lanayru," one Gerudo guard squealed. "Aren't you just the precious-looking things!? And you've nailed the traditional looks of the Gerudo flawlessly! Especially you, pink one!" The guard was referencing Sonic when she saw how kawaii the blue hedgehog looked.

"You clearly look like one of the many voe we kidnap to be our true loves and occasionally tie them up, gag them, and dress them up until they're completely dolled up! I still have my husband locked up in my hut."

"Okeydokey…" Mario responded in a higher voice, he and his pals slowly walking past the gate to the town. "I suppose we'll just enter then…"

"It's alright!" another guard responded, giggling while blushing madly. "We're totally not going to be suspicious of you and admit you're voe in disguise." Filled with confusion, the Smashers made it past the gate to the large town of the Gerudo. There were many more Spirits like the Gerudo, with many at street markets, training dojos, schools about the opposite gender, and spas.

"And I thought dressing up like a girl to rescue my girlfriend Tifa was ridiculous," Cloud sighed, adjusting his veil before he walked up to one of the Gerudo in the town.

"Excuse me," Cloud asked. "Do you know where we can find your chieftess?"

"Oh. It's just straight ahead on the path you're on, at the large palace," the Gerudo answered as she tried to balance the vase on her head. "Funny. A group of vai from different species came by and asked me the same thing."

"Zero Suit Samus and the others could already be at the palace," the Pokémon Trainer told the disguised group. "Let's head over there immediately." Red already ran off towards the large building in the center of the town, believing it to be the palace of the chieftess. The other Smashers followed after him, and Sonic was just about to follow them, trying to adjust to his high heels. The blue hedgehog then started hearing voices… eerie, disturbing voices. Sonic looked behind him and saw a familiar face. One that truly killed him years ago.

The other Gerudo Spirits didn't notice that the Master Legendary Mephiles was standing in the middle of the dusty street. The crystalline hedgehog simply stood there menacingly, staring at Sonic, which made the speedy devil more uncomfortable. His green slit eyes fixated on the blue hedgehog as a sign that something terrible was about to happen, but Sonic had no idea what. As another Gerudo Spirit passed by in front of him, Mephiles simply vanished without a trace.

"Sonic!" Fox called out. The blue hedgehog snapped out of it as soon as he heard the mercenary's voice, dashing after his friends as fast as he could. At the foot of the palace near the large stairs, the fighters managed to meet up with Zero Suit Samus, Nana, Kazooie, Inkling, Wii Fit Trainer, Zelda, and Sheik.

"We're here, girls," Little Mac said as Kazooie flew into Banjo's backpack and Nana hugged Popo.

"Where did you get these clothes?" the Wii Fit Trainer asked as she noticed the male fighters cross-dressing.

"Sonic made them for us," Shulk answered. "We're hoping we can get to the palace and try to ask the chieftess what's going on."

"I don't know," Sonic answered as he walked up the stairs next to the guards. "We just got past those guards at the gate thanks to pure dumb luck. There's no way the Gerudo are going to let anyone into the palace, especially when it's a major situation." As soon as he finished, the Gerudo guards saw him and squealed with excitement, dropping their partisans and hugging the dressed blue hedgehog tightly.

"You are just the most adorable thing!" one Gerudo guard cried, petting Sonic's head of dyed quills stylized into a traditional hairstyle. While Sonic struggled with the guards ironically cuddling him like a stuffed animal, the rest of the fighters ran into the palace.

"Nice work, Sonic," Chrom congratulated as they left. "You keep the guards busy while we talk to the chieftess." Once the other fighters went deeper into the palace, Sonic's eyes widened with fear as he saw more guards fall under his cute outfit and ran towards him to cuddle him.

"Goddammit," Sonic sighed, gritting his teeth and preparing for the worst.

Inside the palace, the group looked around to see if they could find the throne room, and there were more of the Gerudo tribe simply placed under watchful eye of each entrance individually.

"This is terrible," a voice spoke from the room guarded by two Gerudo Spirits. Normally, each other room was guarded by one.

"First, the sun is melting most of our structures, forcing us to increase our taxes, now all our hard-earned treasure has gone missing and our economy will collapse!" the voice continued. The Smashers entered the throne room to see the Master Ace Riju Spirit sitting on her throne surrounded by her peers.

"Your Highness, please," one of the Gerudo servants told her. "Surely all this has to be the Ganondorf Primary's fault…"

"I know who stole our treasure, and it's not the Ganondorf Primary," Riju objected. "Voe are outlawed in our town for our king's disappearance, and it was neither voe nor vai. I saw it with my own eyes." The chieftess Spirit then noticed the fighters enter into the throne room without her permission, and they were instantly surrounded by her guards.

"What's the meaning of this?" Riju asked.

"We've overheard your conversation and would like to do something about it," Zero Suit Samus answered. "If you can give us some insights, perhaps we might restore your tribe to its former glory."

"And how would you do that?" the chieftess of the Gerudo Spirits questioned.

"We simply retrieve your gold and rescue Ganondorf," Sheik answered. "After all, he is our friend…" The peers and the guards gasped when they heard the Sheikah mention the King of the Black Desert is now their ally.

"Any friend of the Gerudo King is an enemy of the Gerudo Tribe!" Riju snapped.

"If you would at best listen, Ganondorf has changed," Zelda objected. "He's on our side now, and would do anything to defeat both Galeem and Dharkon. Ganondorf will help us bring balance to all our universes and bring you vai back to your real Hyrule. All we need is for your guidance." The chieftess Spirit raised her hand, alerting her guards to stand down.

"Okay," Riju sighed. "You've convinced me. Far north, at the edge of the Sacred Land, there is a labyrinth where a genderless genie thrives, holding our gold and our most prized treasure, the Thunder Helm, in its possession. Capture it in a lamp found in the maze, and I will give you the whereabouts of the Ganondorf Primary. There are dangerous traps in each turn, with the Subspace Army and the Yiga Clan also ready to strike. The labyrinth is fairly easy if you memorize the way through to the other side, but… beware of the one possessed by the Portal Master of mischief and deceit." The fighters then genuflected, ready for their new mission.

"We won't let you down, Your Highness," Popo spoke as the Smashers left the throne room. The team then met Sonic outside, who was surrounded by cuddling Gerudo guards.

"Hey, it's my turn to hold her," one Gerudo guard told the vai who was holding the disguised blue hedgehog.

"This animal's mine, and I wanna keep her and hold her forever!" the guard that was cuddling Sonic objected, pinching his furry cheeks.

"Well, the rodent's mine!" another guard snapped. "There's nothing you can do about it!"

"Ladies, please," Sonic stammered. "I'm already getting sick of being treated like some kind of doll…" The guards, driven mad by the kawaii speedster, began fighting over who wanted him more. The blue hedgehog slowly crawled towards the entrance of the palace where he met up with Mario, Link, and the rest of his pals.

"I guess looks can be deceiving," Sonic spoke as he watched the group of Gerudo guards continue fighting over who wanted the blue hedgehog more in a cloud of dust. "So what's the plan?"

"We head to the labyrinth high up north," Mario answered, checking the compass on his device. "If we hurry, the faster we can rescue Ganondorf from Dharkon." The fighters then ran out of the town, leaving the guards fighting. However, while no one was looking, the Mephiles Spirit simply walked up the stairs without moving his legs, using the catfight of Gerudo to his advantage as he simply disappeared behind the palace entrance. Just then, a Normal Novice Spirit which appeared to be the captain of the guards showed up next to the fighting warriors.

"Did I say you could leave your posts just to brawl it out over stupid girly nonsense!?" the captain asked. The Gerudo guards instantly stopped fighting, picked up their partisans, and stood upright. "You are Gerudo, the fiercest of vai and the scourge of voe foolish enough to enter the desert! You know that attacking one another can lead to serious penalties of community service."

"Yes, Tanauga," the Gerudo Spirits responded, their heads hanging low.

"Don't feel sorry and get back to your posts," Tanauga responded, walking back into the palace. "Ever since the genie stole the Thunder Helm, guard security has been a major safety. You're risking the lives of our tribe if you think you're foolish enough to fall for the stupidest of things." As soon as the captain of the guards disappeared, the Gerudo got back to their posts.

"I was so obsessed over the adorable blue rodent that I forgot who we were guarding the palace from," one guard spoke, her face red with embarrassment. "I wonder how long we were away from our posts…" The guards then looked at each other in worry. Worry that they had moved far enough for someone to enter the palace.

"Shit…" another Gerudo guard whispered underneath her breath as soon as she remembered who went past them.


	70. Pt 70: The Labyrinth

After leaving the Gerudo Town, the fighters made their way through the rocky desert up north. While they were traveling through the sands, plenty of Dharkon's Supporters, Dark Puppets, and Subspace creatures appeared just to stop them.

"We can take them down easy-peasy," Mario told his friends.

"And Kazooie and I can play some music to lighten the mood!" Banjo told his companions, the bear and Breegull pulling out a banjo and a kazoo.

"You brought these instruments along?" Marth asked.

"Why do you think they call us Banjo & Kazooie?" Kazooie asked, tooting her kazoo. Banjo then played his instrument as he traveled through the desert to the labyrinth, he and his bird partner recreating the Gerudo Valley theme.

"Adventure is waiting for us! Forward!" Banjo called out. The anthropomorphic bear-and-bird didn't pay mind to the servants of darkness that lunged towards them, with both Marth and Ireburn hopping in front of them and slashing through the Subspace creatures and puppets, the rescued Spirits entering inside Kirby's body. Sieg slammed headfirst into the ground and knocked back most of the dark warriors, and Clementine knocked out the rest with her Splat Bomb.

Mario and Sonic managed to create fireballs that struck Cymuls in the air, and Joker simply shot his gun at the charging Glunders. Incineroar and Donkey Kong both rammed into the Armanks, with Fox and Zero Suit Samus firing their blasters at the hiding Octorocks. As soon as Banjo & Kazooie finished playing their instruments, untouched by the enemies, they gazed in wonder at the large cave in front of them. The fighters stopped and admired the entrance to the labyrinth in front of them, noticing the rims were carved with markings of the Yiga Clan.

"You ready to fight against the Demon King, guys?" Link asked, pulling out his Master Sword and Hylian Shield through his Gerudo outfit.

"Ready," Sonic answered.

"Ready," the other fighters that could talk responded after the blue hedgehog. The Smashers then entered into the labyrinth, ready to find the genderless genie.

When the fighters got through, they recognized, according to the twisty path that spiraled lower, that there really was a maze. In each dead end of the labyrinth, there were always deadly Subspace monsters and assassins from the Yiga Clan, believing them to be sneaky as the crouched when they could simply be spotted from above. From what they could tell, the fighters noticed the walls of the labyrinth were constantly changing.

"This is a deadly maze?" Sonic asked. "I can simply jump from here to the other side lemon-squeezy."

"Maybe for you," Cloud objected. "Most of us don't have superpowers like you."

"I'm with the juvenile delinquent on jumping to the other side," Fox answered. "From what I've learned, Sonic's natural powers are fueled by his emotions, so different emotions could power up different elementals. Fire is obviously powered by rage and anger, and I've heard the kid's usually a hothead."

"So what do I use with fire?" Sonic asked. "Use it as a jetpack to float to the other side of the labyrinth?"

"Pretty much," Fox answered. "When I'm in a situation and I need to use my fire boost to escape, I usually think of the terrible things my mortal enemy Andross did. Hopefully you can think of something…" The blue dolled-up hedgehog stood at the edge, taking deep breaths as he stood over the towering height. Sonic then started remembering terrible events where he was almost defeated, and even killed. He remembered the situations where some of his friends were kidnapped and thousands of millions of lives were being risked. The blue hedgehog started to remember getting up and fighting back for what was right for the planet, and a small smirk beamed on his face as flames circled around his scars and irises, spiraling down to his hands and feet.

The blue hedgehog then took a massive leap, no longer having fear in his eyes. Blasts of fire accelerated Sonic into the air, burning most of the Subspace creatures and Yiga troops waiting down below. The speedy devil safely landed on the other side of the labyrinth, cooling down his blue finger-nail painted hands by waving them rapidly. Sonic waved at his companions, who were just trying to get down by climbing over the changing walls.

"Wish Lady Palutena was here so I don't have to walk over walls like a mortal," Pit groaned, adjusting his slippers as he balanced himself on the shifting walls with his flapping wings. The other Smashers were doing their best to climb over the top of the labyrinth and jump over the gaps.

"Sephiroth's Spirit said we're constantly breaking the rules," Link responded, using his Master Sword to pole-vault over. "Surely it won't hurt to cheat a bit more." Mario used jets of fire from his hands and feet to head over to the other side as he scorched the ambushing enemies from below, and Fox simply ran over the walls and gaps like an anime character blended with an athletic. Olimar's Pikmin tackled the Subspace creatures and Yiga troops and climbed back up to meet up with the Hocotate captain, and Kirby simply floated over as he puffed up with air and waved his stubby arms to guide him to the other side.

The fighters that glided over like Banjo & Kazooie and Joker with Arsene made it to the end first, while the teammates that went the hard way of jumping over gap after gap arrived last. Regardless, they all made it across.

"When will they learn that we have ways around our problems?" Sonic asked, brushing his pink hairstyle with his fingers.

"Sometimes we can't simply cheat our way through this," Ireburn replied. "Our enemies might see this as unfair and try to bring us down…" Next to the group was a straight pathway to the area where it was believed that the genderless genie is holding the Gerudo gold. As Joker walked into the path, his foot stubbed against something metallic. The Phantom Thief put on his mask and recalled Arsene as he looked down on the golden object that caught him off-guard. Joker quickly dug up the golden object to find it is nothing more than an oil lamp.

"Hey, guys!" Joker called out. "Look at this! Look at this damn ugly bong."

"It's not a bong," Cloud Strife sighed, taking the lamp. "It's a lamp. One designed for trapping genies. As long as you say the genie's name, you can trap it here as long as the lamp itself is empty." Cloud then noticed some strange fingerprints on the lamp, which were visible from the faint glow in his Mako-infected eyes. The fingerprints were rubbed out and tainted with sand, obvious that someone had already used the lamp to free the genie from its prison and wish it to cause mischief upon the Gerudo Spirits.

"Well, we got the lamp like Riju said," Ryu said. "Let's just continue down the road and hope we meet up with this genie…"

"Yeah… if we can figure out what the genie's name is…" Sonic responded, tapping his chin while thinking. Suddenly, as the fighters went down the path, the blue hedgehog saw a cannonball emerging from the darkness without warning, heading straight for Fox McCloud.

"Fox! Look out!" Sonic yelled, dashing towards the Star Fox mercenary. The speedster created a reflecting shield right in front of himself and his pal, reflecting the cannonball back at the captured fighter who shot it. The other Smashers saw this too and got their weapons ready as the cannonball hit Dharkon's servant.

"Ow! Ow! Oh, geez! You pathetic humans never play fair, do you!?" a strange voice came from the darkness. The familiar sound of the Koopa Clown Car's motor blades could be heard kicking up the sand as the Bowser Jr. Primary emerged, holding his eye.

"Can it, wimp," Zero Suit Samus said. "And just who do you think you are?"

"Who am I?" the Bowser Jr. Primary asked. "Who am I? You mortals clearly haven't heard of the all-powerful Kaos, the greatest of all Portal Masters in Skylands and the one true lord of... the SECOND lord of darkness!" The Bowser Jr. Primary suddenly noticed the lamp in Cloud's hands.

"That's my lamp!" the captured fighter shouted. "I used it to summon the genie and steal all that gold! Give it to me!"

"No," Cloud answered with a stern voice, attaching the lamp to his waist.

"Very well then," the Primary spoke. "I suppose I'll just have to pick someone to fight while you deal with my… distraction. I choose eeny… meeny… miney… YOU!" As soon as the Bowser Jr. Primary pointed at Banjo & Kazooie, the pink slime Joker came across before in the Sky Temple landed on the bear's face.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Banjo cried, struggling as he tried to pull the slime off his face while Kazooie constantly poked at the mysterious creature. Mario attempted on holding Banjo in place as Kazooie was beginning to rip off the pink slime, and Sonic was about ready to burn the strange mass. Before either one of the fighters could do anything, Banjo ripped the pink slime straight off his face, shaking his head as the peculiar ooze landed in the sand, beginning to bubble. The Bowser Jr. Primary then grabbed ahold of Banjo and squeezed Kazooie's neck to avoid her from flying away.

"Let's see how you can handle this new toy I found!" the captured fighter called out. The pink slime then started changing shape, with static electricity spiraling throughout its semi-transparent body as it twisted.

"Uh… what's going on?" Toon Link asked, a little frightened.

"I don't know," the Mii Brawler answered. "Whatever that thing is… I'm betting it's sure to be a problem for us in the future…" A strange hand then emerged from the slime. This kind of hand was very humanoid, but not quite. In fact, it was more blocky and had a pixelated texture despite being a human hand. The pink gelatinous mass then shifted into something that resembled a human but was shaped into more of a person made entirely out of blocks with pixelated textures. It was some sort of terrifying mix between the two, and the face that was revealed on what the slime transformed into was completely hideous. It seemed to have rectangular eyes and a mouth, but the hyperrealism on those pixels really messed up its image, throwing the grotesque abomination straight into the uncanny valley. Plus, for whatever reason, it didn't transform into disgusting versions of Banjo & Kazooie like it was supposed to.

"Now attack, my Stevepost!" the Bowser Jr. Primary called out.

"Stevepost?" Marth asked.

"Yoshi?" Yoshi noted with a bit of confusion.

"I don't know!" the captured fighter replied as he tried holding Banjo & Kazooie in his clutches. "I found that slime out of nowhere and I didn't have time to name it, so I'm just calling it what I see. Nevertheless, get them!" The grotesque cubic humanoid pulled out a blue, pixelated sword, receiving orders and charging at the fighters. While the Smashers are attacking the pink slime that transformed into... something that even the author can't describe as human, the Bowser Jr. Primary transported both himself and the bear-bird duo through a vortex, which took them to the Final Destination version of Delfino Plaza.

* * *

"Now, prepare for the wrath of the all-powerful Kaos!" the Bowser Jr. Primary shouted, his hands flashing with blue flames and his purple eyes glowing with menace.

"Careful, Banjo," Kazooie told the anthropomorphic bear. "He does say he hates Skylanders, according to Flynn."

"Kazooie, it was ten years ago," Banjo answered with a joyful tone. "Besides, what's a cute turtle like him going to do to-" Before Banjo could finish, the Bowser Jr. Primary's Koopa Clown Car pulled out mechanical boxing gloves and punched the bear right in the crotch, causing him to kneel down and hold his hit area in pain.

"That," Kazooie answered while the voice of the rebellious Portal Master rang through the Koopa Prince's possessed body. The Bowser Jr. Primary was then about to fire a cannonball at the bear-bird duo, and Kazooie was quickly coughing up Blue Eggs to slow the projectile down, but it still kept speeding. Banjo then got up and spot-dodged, quickly grabbing Kazooie and having her cough up more eggs at the Bowser Jr. Primary. The captured fighter began throwing bombs in the form of Koopa wind-up toys, by which Kazooie pulled out some Golden Feathers. Banjo used this to their advantage and quickly dashed at the Bowser Jr. Primary, who was also charging towards the bear and Breegull. Banjo & Kazooie came out on top and rammed the captured fighter off-stage.

"Let's see… I am in the body of a completely different mortal," the Bowser Jr. Primary spoke. "How do I recover?" A large, red eject button quickly emerged from the Koopa Clown Car's control panel, forcing the captured fighter to press it and give himself a boost back onto the Delfino Plaza stage. The luck for the possessed challenger dropped significantly as Kazooie simply coughed up a Grenade Egg off-stage from Banjo's backpack, which only touched him without exploding. This, the Bowser Jr. Primary was gimped.

"Well, this sucks," the captured fighter groaned. "Let's see… how does a young child always call for help when they're in danger…? Mother! Mother, help me! Help your poor son! Somebody help me!" Those were the last words the Bowser Jr. Primary called out before he exploded in the blast zone, freeing both the Kaos Spirit and the Koopa Prince. Banjo & Kazooie congratulated each other before a vortex appeared right where they were standing on the vanishing stage, holding the unconscious body of Bowser Jr. and carrying him back.

* * *

Once the bear and the bird arrived with the red mist of the Dharkon Lock with Bowser Jr's body, the Spirit they rescued and the red mist both didn't go straight for Sonic the Hedgehog, for his memories had already been restored. Instead, they dived right into the mind of Kirby, who was about to be struck by the Stevepost's diamond sword before being saved by the Hero. The pink puffball's eyes flashed red again, and another vision flashed through his head again.

* * *

Kirby woke up in a large, vast field void of grass. A violent thunderstorm was raging through the sky, blackened as dark as Galeem's heart truly was. The pink puffball looked up into what remained of the Sky Temple, which was surrounded by Master Hands floating through the air. Looking down on the earth was Galeem himself in his draconic form. The Seraph of Order walked up to Lord Ceresor's tombstone, which was one of the few things that remained of the massive structure the Sky Temple once was.

"Look at your greatest creation," Galeem spoke to the grave of the Lord of Arcus. "Me. The one you banished because you saw me as cruel and selfish. You thought order and perfection cannot exist without chaos and disarray. But I can prove you wrong." As the Lord of Light turned around to walk to the edge of the floating island, his tail sliced across the tombstone, cutting it in half as it crumbled into nothing more than pebbles. Galeem then saw Ultima and Sozo walk out onto the field, with the Diamond of Universes glowing on the chest of the dragoness. The Mii Fighters and the Shadow Bug creatures with Galleom arrived, along with the aliens from other planets equipped with the technology from Raifujin.

"Kill them all," Galeem calmly ordered the Master Hands. "Spare no one except for the last two dragons. Leave Sozo and Ultima alive so I can transform them." The Master Hands obeyed, diving down straight for the charging army down on the field. Galleom grabbed ahold of the first few Master Hands, slamming them into the ground until they were nothing more than golden glitter. The Mii Fighters were assisted by the Shadow Bugs as both species jumped on top of more Master Hands and ripped through their silky shells, burning the fabric off. The aliens that were guided by the elementals they had served as major distractions for Ultima and Sozo to dash towards the Sky Temple, where Galeem glided down to the field in front of them.

"Figured you would still be alive, sister," Galeem spoke with a smile on his face. "It just make me much more satisfied now that I would have to kill you by my claws."

"You see this!?" Ultima snarled as she pointed at the Diamond of Universes on her neck. "This will end your reign once and for all, Galeem. I will make you fall." The Lord of Light wasted no time attacking Ultima and Sozo, bursting out golden flames that scorched the lifeless ground. Sozo began creating boomerangs of light and throwing them at Galeem, ricocheting off the seraphic dragon's colossal wings. The Seraph of Order dived straight for Sozo, landing on the ground and shooting pillars of blue lightning. The ex-Lord of Light began getting wounded after tireless seconds of attacking only to realize that his own powers cannot hurt Galeem. Just when Sozo was ready to flee with only one wing, Galeem slashed at his rival's neck with his claws, letting Sozo fall by his own gashing wounds.

"Sozo!" Ultima cried, the heavy rain falling on her battle armor. The Queen of Arcus began fuming with black thunderclouds, enhanced by the Diamond of Universes and shot out violet crystals at Galeem. Some of them scrapped his wings, and he roared at the intense pain the darkness was delivering to him.

"So I guess darkness outbalances light," Galeem snarled, creating a javelin out of some of his wings levitating by his golden aura. His eyes flashed red as he clashed his javelin weapon with Ultima's legs and tail. The Queen of Arcus then breathed dark smoke on Galeem's face before pushing him hard to the ground, gnawing at his neck with her teeth. Galeem then grabbed ahold of her and threw her onto the rocky dirt, the two of them getting up as quickly as possible.

"How and why could you do this, Galeem!?" Ultima asked, tears mixing with the heavy rain falling above them. "I thought being the Lord of Light was to keep balance and peace with the darkness, unless you cheated your way through! Whatever happened to being friends till the end, no matter what!?"

"The past is in the past, Ultima," Galeem answered, levitating without moving his wings. "I will clear a way for the future, and it all starts… with destroying the darkness before it destroys me."

"I won't let you!" Ultima roared, icy breath streaming out from her mouth as she ran towards Galeem. However, the Seraph of Order used his telepathy and stopped Ultima in place before she could strike him.

"Even with all the power in the multiverse, you are still weak," Galeem chuckled, placing his paws on Ultima's chest with his claws on different sides of the glowing stone. "Hopefully I never have to deal with you again." Galeem then shoved his claws deep into the scaly skin of the frozen dragoness, causing her to cry in pain as her own brother was about to reach to her internal organs.

In the battle against the Master Hands, the First Ultimates saw that the Queen of Arcus was about to be killed, and they wanted to do something about it.

"Quick!" Sieg the First Brawler Ultimate called out to the other two. "We each grab a cannon and fire them all at Galeem!" Each of the First Ultimates pulled out the cannons revealed before at Raifujin, pointing them straight at Galeem. They each fired, sending large lasers right at the Lord of Light. Once Galeem looked up, he was hit so hard in the head that he was knocked back in defeat, with the lasers reflecting back at Ultima and the First Ultimates. They all pierced through Ultima, splitting her into two conscious minds as the Diamond of Universes dropped to the ground. They then flew straight for the First Ultimates, and their souls were separated from their bodies and sent straight to few of the statues of the legendary warriors now located at Ginnungagap.

Galeem looked up and saw who once were Ultima now appeared as two godlike figurines that were starting to wake up: Tabuu, the God of Construction, and a mysterious, golden woman with abstract bird wings and a violet eye in the center of her chest. Kirby, for the first time, was speechless by what he saw. Who once was their mortal enemy was half of the Queen of Arcus. Tabuu was a split mind of Ultima. But who was the golden goddess…?

Tabuu was just about to reach for the Diamond of Universes, but Galeem quickly snatched it with his telekinesis, breathing harder than before.

"You'll pay for this! All of you!" Galeem growled, his slit pupils dilated. "I will truly murder you, Ultima! Or… what remains of you anyway. Two figures, one mind. Tabuu, the God of Construction and Ultima's darkness, and Ragnarokk, the Goddess of Oblivion and Ultima's light." Galeem then lifted the dying Sozo into the air, twisting the general's bones and flesh until he became the Arcadian Master Hand, which was identified with a golden aura. The Lord of Light then called the other Hands of Creation to his side before he flew back to the Sky Temple with the Diamond of Universes.

"Where do you suppose he's going to do with that stone?" Tabuu asked.

"Release Dharkon… just so he can kill him," Ragnarokk answered with the exact same voice as Faker's and Ultima's. Once the vision ended on a cliffhanger, Kirby's eyes flashed red again, bringing him back into the fight against the Stevepost.

* * *

"Kirby, wake up!" Young Link called out. The pink puffball quickly looked up to see the grotesque cubic human about to strike him with his pixelated diamond sword. Kirby quickly pulled out his hammer in the process and blocked the incoming attack, pushing the strange figure away. The Stevepost found himself surrounded by the other fighters, even Bowser Jr. who just woke up, but his gaze was focused more on Banjo & Kazooie, the duo the pink slime transformed from. For whatever reason, the Stevepost was talking in a way that was nothing more than untranslatable screeches for the other fighters but can only be heard by the bear and the bird.

"Why, if it isn't my pals Banjo and Kazooie," the Stevepost spoke. Even when he was smiling, he was terrifying with those flat human teeth. "Tell me: how you guys been doin'?"

"No… you can't be real," Kazooie gasped, putting her wings over her beak. "The Steve we knew was left to die…"

"Nonsense! I'm totally real!" "Steve" responded.

"You just copied our memories into the real thing…" Banjo answered. "Like we told you before, we will never be your friend after what you did!"

"What are the bear and bird doing?" Sonic asked with confusion. "Who is this 'Steve' guy they're referring to? I know only Banjo & Kazooie can hear them, but how do they know each other?"

"I don't know," Joker answered, "but whatever these two are hiding, they need a stern talking to."

"Oh, that's rich," "Steve" responded, being slightly sarcastic with his voice. "You abandoned me!"

"You were going to kill us all, and it would make me and Kazooie feel so much better!" Banjo growled, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. "We beat you once, we can beat you again!" The bear pulled out Kazooie like a sword, grabbing her by her feet.

"Sorry I have to do this," Banjo spoke.

"It's fine," Kazooie replied. "I've got iron-tough feathers and I like being played rough. Now swing me at that imposter!" Banjo and "Steve" charged at each other with sword-like weapons, the strange thud of Kazooie's feathers clanging against the pixelated diamond sword. Banjo then grabbed Kazooie's neck and made her cough up Blue Eggs like a shotgun. The grotesque cubic humanoid pulled out a shield and began blocking the projectiles, but was suddenly interrupted by Sonic's gust of wind. The Stevepost got back on his feet and snarled in an untranslatable language.

"Looks like the slime is angry!" Kazooie responded. "Good luck trying to understand what he's saying because even we can't!" Sonic's powers then automatically clicked, and his ears perked up to the sounds of the Stevepost being translated.

"So you can hear what I'm saying, huh?" the grotesque monster asked. "Looks like Dharkon's experiments REALLY did a number on you!" For the other fighters, this was nothing more than screeching.

"Shut up," the Luminary snapped, unleashing Kazap behind "Steve". The grotesque being was becoming electrocuted, standing up and turning around. He simply roared now, pulling out potions and throwing them at the fighters. Ness began swatting the potions back at "Steve" with his bat, and Fox began warping around with a blue aura around his body, rapidly jabbing in the horrifying cubic human's face. Blocks of TNT were placed to assist "Steve", and he was ready to light the small pile up in front of the fighters as he kept blocking incoming attacks with his shield. The Stevepost was ready to ignite a block of TNT with a redstone torch, which was just ready to explode. As the fighters were about to back away, Shulk received a vision of the future: the cave was laced with redstone connected to TNT. If one redstone torch was placed next to the redstone to ignite the TNT, then redstone repeaters would transfer the ignited information throughout the dust laid out and ignite more TNT blocks hidden in the rocks, blowing up the cave and killing everyone underneath the falling rocks.

"The caves are rigged!" Shulk called out as he struggled against "Steve's" potions. "This place is going to blow up if we don't get out!" Sonic used his speed to his advantage, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Just before the Stevepost ignited the TNT next to him, a house built from all the TNT Sonic gathered in time appeared around him, and it was to late for "Steve" as he couldn't get rid of the ignited block.

"Grab a soda, some popcorn, and let's enjoy the fireworks show," Sonic responded with a smirk behind his blue lipstick as he didn't look back upon the large explosion of TNT supposedly killing "Steve" inside it. The fighters watched from a safe distance of the fiery screams that was coming from the cubic human-guised slime, and Banjo & Kazooie were the most shocked. Once the fire calmed down and pieces of sand and popping gunpowder landed in the ground of the cave, things seemed to have calmed down with relief.

"That… was… terrifying," Bowser Jr. said as the genie's lamp was passed to him. "I have never met this guy before in my life, and he's already gave me nightmares for a full-straight month."

"I know how you feel, kid," Sonic responded, shaking the sand from his slippers. Once the Smashers continued down the path to the Gerudo gold, the blue hedgehog started hearing noises coming from the ashes of the TNT pile behind them.

"Determination is nonexistent, rat…" the bubbling voice of "Steve" growled softly. Fox McCloud heard the sounds from the ash pile, but there was the untranslatable gibberish for him instead.

"Guys…?" Fox and Sonic asked in unison as louder, squelching sounds arose from the area of the blast. The Smashers turned around in confusion to be met with the pink slime disguised as "Steve" transform into some of disgusting horror right in front of them. Slimy, slithering tentacles of deep cobalt and turquoise wrapped around each other into a pulsing body of ooze and pus. Arms made out of pure muscle and popping veins made themselves into limbs so beefy that Incineroar and Captain Falcon looked nothing more than a baby. The creepy face of "Steve" moved its way up to the top of the body of mutated flesh, his bones cracking with every movement. His human-like teeth became much more noticeably sharper, and his tongue was long and forked. His eyes rolled back into his cubic head until the capillaries in his corneas were shown at the bottom, with his blue pupils gone. His mouth stretched to an unnatural level, making a noise that was supposed to be laughter but came out as a voice from the depths of hell.

"Dear God," Snake spoke.

"Sweet mother of Chaos!" Sonic exclaimed as the eldritch horror in front of them exposed his yellowed teeth and hyperrealistic gums, releasing a stunning roar that filled the fighters with a brink of fear. They crouched and cowered at the terrifying beast towering over them by a meter, and the only ones immune were Banjo & Kazooie, the ones who were caught by the slime.

"Should we do this again?" Kazooie asked. Banjo nodded, dashing towards the monster that "Steve" had become and kicking sand in the creature's face. The horrific creature cried as he tried to get the sand out of his eyes, his eyes shrinking until they crunched into little black dots with pixelated skin covering the sides of his sockets. He began slamming with his strong arms, shaking the floor of the cave. The anthropomorphic bear stated hitting the slimy tentacles, jabbing as hard as he could with Kazooie to assist him. However, "Steve" whacked Banjo with his strong arms and ramming the bear into the wall of the cave. The grotesque creature then charged towards him, still roaring the roar that triggered the emotion of fright in the other fighters.

"Sonic!" Fox called out to the blue hedgehog. Sonic lowered his quills as he looked at the Star Fox mercenary, trembling. Even if he couldn't see "Steve's" horrifying face, Sonic could still visualize the abomination by simply hearing his voice.

"You need to stall that thing!" Fox exclaimed. "You're the only one out of any of us to stand up against that bastard thanks to your powers! Block his voices out of your head and focus!" Sonic then quietly stood up, knowing that "Steve" can scare his prey by being heard and seen. Out of the blue, the scars on the blue hedgehog's eyes flashed their respected colors, filtering the disturbing sounds and the looks of the humanoid eldritch so they no longer trigger his helplessness. Now, Sonic could concentrate and create a pillar of fire underneath the Stevepost's tentacles. Yet, "Steve" saw this coming as he approached Banjo & Kazooie. The creature extended his mouth and… swallowed the flame pillar?

"The hell?" Sonic asked. A fire symbol flashed on "Steve's" eyes as his mouth stretched to a point that it seemed as though he was touching the roof of the cave. Getting pissed as the horror was laughing, Sonic began tossing boulders, lightning bolts, thorny vines, gusts of wind, icicles, and magic blasts, only for "Steve" to swallow them all as fast as possible. His eyes rapidly switched through symbols of the Rainbolements, having completely absorbed them.

"Well, this is new," Kazooie replied. The head of "Steve" then split into seven, smaller heads, each on a long neck and a single, giant eye, with each eye having a different symbol of the Rainbolements. To top it off, his strong arms are missing, and it instead remained a blob of slimy tentacles with tips of pink. The head with the Fire Rainbolement began charging up bursts of fire and shooting them at the blue hedgehog and bipedal bear. The head with the Earth Rainbolement now started blasting out walls of stone, trying to push the two fighters into the cave walls and crush them, but they kept jumping out of the way and grabbing some of the paralyzed Smashers in the process.

The head with the Thunder Rainbolement spat out charged blasts of lightning, and the head with the Life Rainbolement spat out rapid-fire seeds which grew into vines that tried to slam Sonic and Banjo-Kazooie into the ground. Sonic quickly grabbed a paralyzed Fox as the head with the Air Rainbolement was ready to blow a massive tornado at the Star Fox mercenary. Some of the Smashers were starting to get up and avoid looking and hearing the abomination.

"You okay?" Fox asked, holding Sonic's cheek as he was trying to pull himself up. The blue hedgehog nodded and began to charge up lightning in his fingertips once the head with the Water Rainbolement spouted out a strong stream of water. The blue hedgehog placed his hands in the water and zapped the grotesque monster. Finally, the head with the Magic Rainbolement was ready to unleash a powerful blast that will surely kill the fighters.

Kazooie quickly coughed up a Grenade Egg, which served as a distraction for the "Steve" heads. Sonic then came up from behind via speed and created ice blades from his hands, severing some of the tentacles and cutting deep into the body of the altered Stevepost. The creature roared in defeat as pink slime was oozing out of his wound, and he squirmed around until he transformed back into his cubic humanoid self. As the other fighters got up, helping Bowser Jr. keep himself together, "Steve" began growling in screeches, but he spoke in the ears of Banjo & Kazooie as well as Sonic. With enough luck, Mega Man managed to translate the language as well with his systems.

"You will pay for this!" "Steve" snarled as he squirmed in defeat. "When I get back, I will drag you down to a place where there's no heaven, no hell – just nothing! Nothing as empty as the Mother's shell! She will live on! Do you hear!?" The grotesque figure then exploded into a pink mess on the sand, leaving Banjo & Kazooie shocked. Sonic was terrified by what he saw earlier, and Mega Man backed away in fear.

"What did he say?" Cloud asked. The three fighters turned around, unable to speak as of now. The grotesque horror seemed to do a lot on them. Mega Man's translator was all jumbled up from the message of the Stevepost, and even he couldn't process the message now.

"I suppose we just take this lamp to the genderless genie?" Bowser Jr. asked, tossing the lamp to the Hero.

"I suppose," Ireburn responded. As the fighters traveled to the cave of the genderless genie, the pink mess on the floor was slowly reforming into the mono-eyed slime it once was. It looked back on the disappearing fighters with its expressionless eye looking far at them.

The fighters made it to the area where all of the Gold of the Gerudo was being held at, and there, on top of the shiny pile, was the genderless genie. They were of a Master Ace class due to their rainbow aura surrounding their yellow body, and they had the graced of an angel that could fly like a bird. In their hands, they held the Thunder Helm.

"Oh boy," the genie responded in a teenage feminine voice. "I don't know why that young turtle wanted me to steal all this, but it sure looks pretty!" As the genderless genie was about to put on the Thunder Helm, they looked down at the fighters standing right in front of the Gerudo gold.

"Don't you people look adorable in those dresses?" the genie asked in a playful manner. "I can see past your disguises and know you're not really women…"

"Give the Gerudo back their gold and the Thunder Helm back now!" Zelda ordered, the Smashers getting ready to attack. However, the genie simply laughed.

"You people just don't know who you're talking to, huh?" the genie continued. "For whatever reason, I was given this gold and ordered to protect it. Now buzz off!" The Luminary then pulled out the lamp, scaring the genie.

"You've found it!" the genie gasped, dropping the Thunder Helm on the surface of the gold. "The one thing Dharkon kept me locked up in! Too bad you can't tell me my name or you'll be sucking me in right about now…" Sonic, knowing the answer quite easily due to his experience, grabbed the lamp from the Hero's hands and held the lamp.

"Is it NiGHTS?" Sonic asked. Shook, the genie trembled with a surprised expression.

"What the-!?" NiGHTS asked, a tornado swirling out from the lamp and sucking in the genie.

"NiGHTS!" Sonic continued, drawing in the genie as they tried to escape. In a state of panic, NiGHTS offered to make a deal.

"Okay, okay!" NiGHTS spoke as they were being sucked in. "I'll give all the treasure in this cave back to the Gerudo! I'll do what you ask if you just leave me alone! Please!" Sonic then covered the spout of the lamp, getting rid of the tornado and freeing NiGHTS. The genderless genie Spirit sighed as they snapped their fingers and transported all of the gold back to the Gerudo.

"And the Thunder Helm," Joker replied when he saw the headpiece still here. Sighing in defeat , NiGHTS snapped their fingers and returned the Thunder Helm through transportation.

"Now go back to the Gerudo and apologize," Mario told the genie. "Roll with whatever punishment they give you without complaining." NiGHTS then teleported themselves to the Gerudo tribe, leaving the cave empty.

"Well, that's that," Sonic said as he tossed the lamp onto the empty sand and walked off to the main entrance with his pals. Once they got outside, the Smashers looked around the darkened sky, feeling rather peculiar about this.

"I guess all that's left to do is find Ganondorf and complete the Triforce," Sheik told the fighters before she stared off into the direction of Gerudo Town.

"Especially the fight back there," Fox responded. "That was weird…"

"Yeah, Sonic answered, looking back at the cave. "I wonder who this Mother person is, and I wonder if she had… anything to do… with… the… situation…" While Sonic was talking, Fox in shock turned the hedgehog's head so he was facing in the same direction all the other fighters were. There, right in front of Sonic's eyes, was Gerudo Town engulfed in violet flames.


	71. Pt 71: The Demon King

The fighters gazed upon the horror that was the burning Gerudo Town, the red flames spiraling into violet as they ascended into the sky blackened with ashes. Among the rising fires were the screams of the Gerudo Spirits and several female species.

"Oh… my… goodness…" Zelda gasped.

"We need to get going! Come on!" Mario said to his friends as he dashed towards the burning town. The other fighters followed him to the main entrance, where the two guards cowered and trembled with all of the other security that was kicked out by some unknown force that works for Dharkon.

"We just… let him walk through," one of the guards whispered.

"What happened?" Cloud Strife asked.

"Unbeknownst to us, an intruder just entered our gates invisibly," another guard responded. "He just burned down our city once he got to the palace, and he used the body of Ganondorf to cause mayhem to our city walls while kicking us protectors out!"

"Who was this intruder?" Sonic asked.

"We don't know," a third guard spoke up. "He introduced himself as… Mephos? Mecha? Something starting with 'M'?"

"Mephiles," Sonic corrected, remembering the name that murdered him.

"That's the one!" a fourth guard replied. "Anyone can enter the gates now. Just get rid of that monster! First the genie stole our gold, now this enigma of an enemy is laying waste to our hideout!" The fighters went through the gate without penalties, wanting to stop the Primary that destroyed the town.

There were many Gerudo and other Spirits panicking, some hiding in houses while other were being taken hostage by Supporters, Dark Puppets, many different types of Primids, Shadyas, Yiga Clan forces, and two new enemies: Spikes from the Mushroom Kingdom and the Garo, and ancient race believed to have been extinct in Termina, a world completely different from Hyrule. All of these different kinds of species looked upon the fighters, getting ready to attack.

"Mamma mia," Mario sighed. "The fight never ends, does it?"

"No it doesn't," Sonic replied, the Rainbolements streaming through his fingers. "As I always tell myself, live and learn." A Garo was ready to strike the blue hedgehog from behind while being invisible, but Sonic quickly grabbed the mysterious warrior and threw it at a small group of Boom Primids. The Smashers then traveled through the burning town, attacking the various enemies and looting from broken vases.

Simon Belmont began throwing axes at the Spikes, who were coughing up spiky pillars and throwing them from platforms, and Fox and Sonic was jabbing and kicking by Sonic's side, but it was the blue hedgehog doing most of the work with his ice and fire pillars combined with his karate-like combos. Incineroar began throwing many of the Yiga troops out of the way and tossing them into the fire, and the Pokémon Trainer called out Squirtle to put out the fires and get some of the Spirits trapped inside the clay buildings.

The Smashers began climbing over the buildings when they saw the roads Lea to the palace were blocked off by the flames, and they began attacking the Shadyas waiting for them at the top. Captain Falcon and the Mii Brawler were doing flips in the air before landing in a group of Garo and Spikes, and they both managed to knock them off the rooftops. The fighters continued jumping over the clay buildings and attacking Dharkon's puppets until they managed to land safely in front of the palace where Chieftess Riju was supposedly being held against her will.

"I suppose that's where we can find the Ganondorf Primary?" Link asked.

"If that Mephiles Spirit is the one possessing him, then yes," Sheik answered.

"Then let's kick his butt and leave the Sacred Land!" Bowser Jr. replied. The Smashers nodded in agreement and went into the palace where the chieftess was.

"No! Please! Have mercy!" Riju screamed, her cries becoming louder the deeper into the palace the fighters traveled through.

"Listen, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," NiGHTS replied. "We will never submit to Dharkon, no matter how much you threaten us!" The group managed to find themselves in the throne room, where they saw Riju and NiGHTS trapped in a cage formed out of obsidian, and the Master Legendary Spirit that was keeping them hostage was Mephiles.

"Your tears of terror will be all the more sweeter one I'm through with you," the Mephiles Spirit responded, black flames flowing out from his crystalline hands.

"Stop this right now!" Joker snapped, pointing his gun at the hostile Spirit. Mephiles simply looked back at the Smashers cornering him, not really taking his chance to attack.

"Why, if it isn't the legendary hedgehog and his friends that are going around saving others from a major threat," Mephiles chuckled. "Let me guess: you're here to stop me?"

"Your reign of terror ends, Mephiles!" Sonic snapped, fire and lightning crackling up between his fingers. "I don't know how or why you're doing this, but it needs to stop now!" The crystalline hedgehog Spirit turned around, shaking his head and chuckling.

"You have me idea who you're up against, aren't you?" Mephiles asked, black flames igniting from his fingers. Appearing in a cloud of smoke was Ganondorf's body, which was chained up by the tendrils of the Dharkon Lock. The Mephiles Spirit entered inside the Gerudo King, igniting a red aura from the now-invisible Lock. The Ganondorf Primary opened up his violet eyes, glaring at the fighters ready to attack.

"We can take him down," Link said to his friends. "There's a lot of us and only one of him."

"Quality over quantity," the Ganondorf Primary growled, lifting up his hand and showing the symbol of the Triforce of Power. A red beacon flashed where the Demon King stood, beaming up to the blackened sky. Once the beacon vanished, the Ganondorf Primary jumped into the air, about to slam his fist at the fighters standing their ground.

Shulk and Marth jumped out of the way, colliding swords with the captured fighter's humongous chopper. It seemed as though the Primary would beat the two fighters with that huge sword of his, but Cloud and Chrom came in from behind and slashed the Ganondorf Primary's back. Olimar then tossed his Pikmin on the captured fighter's face, but the Primary simply swatted the Pikmin off his face. As he shook off the ghosts of the Pikmin, he approached a trembling Olimar until Red's Ivysaur jumped in front of the Hocotate captain and began using Bullet Seed. The Ganondorf Primary, after getting hit, jumped to the side where he found himself surrounded by Link, Young Link, and Toon Link.

"This body is so slow and heavy!" the Mephiles Spirit snarled, charging up his shadow powers in his extended foot. A fiery explosion occurred right in front of Link as he shielded and his other two clones were knocked back, and he became dazed once it broke. The Ganondorf Primary charged up a forward smash, and he would've killed the Champion of Hyrule if Joker and Ireburn didn't come to his rescue. The Phantom Thief began shooting the captured fighter's face, and the Hero pulled up his Command Selection and used Hocus Pocus. The random effect that spawned gave Eleven a Superspicy Curry ability, and he began burning the Ganondorf Primary's cape before he and Joker were knocked back by Warlock Punch.

"I see you've gotten stronger," the captured fighter spoke. "This could be a bit harder…" Mega Man and PAC-MAN were tossing their projectiles at the Ganondorf Primary, which he simply whacked away by spinning his sword rapidly. Duck Hunt and Banjo & Kazooie began shooting out their explosives, and the Inkling and Wii Fit Trainer began piling up on the Ganondorf Primary. Mario and Captain Falcon started punching once Ness trapped the captured fighter in a renewable pillar of PK Fire. Once the fighters started getting the Ganondorf Primary at a decent percentage, Sonic grabbed ahold of Kirby by the end of the alien's wooden mallet, igniting the weapon with his powers. The pink demon then jumped forward and whacked the Ganondorf Primary, knocking out the captured fighter.

The possessed body of the Demon King flew right into the obsidian cage where Riju and NiGHTS were held, with black shards flying everywhere and freeing the two Ace Spirits. The fighters then cornered the Ganondorf Primary, whose Lock has already been shattered. The Mephiles Spirit flew out, groaning at the fact that he lost in the body of the reincarnated king of monsters.

"You know what? Fine," the Master Legendary Spirit spoke calmly. "I really didn't want this fighter anymore. You want him? He's yours. I have better things to do right now…" The Mephiles Spirit then vanished with the fires in Gerudo Town, with a red beacon shining on top of Ganondorf's body as he was slowly waking up. The red mist of the Dharkon Lock flew right into Kirby's body, triggering a vision once again.

* * *

The pink demon woke up inside the Sky Temple, watching as Galeem was gliding to the treasure vault without the floor, where Dharkon was hanging from the ceiling in a prison of light. The Seraph of Order chuckled as he telepathically slipped the Diamond of Universes on his neck, groaning as the gold necklace simply burned his scales. Galeem quickly took it off with his powers and moved it to his side.

"That gemstone will not help you kill me because you are weak of heart, just like you had always been," Dharkon growled, trying not to hurt himself in his cage.

"I will find a way to utilize its powers and use it to purge the darkness from this world," Galeem answered, his sunrise-colored eyes looking back at the imprisoned Seraph of Chaos.

"You may try, but I am getting stronger by the minute," Dharkon responded, standing up. From what the Lord of Light could tell, his brother was no longer flinching from touching the bars of highly-concentrated light, and he began gnawing through the cage. The Seraph of Chaos broke out from his prison, flying straight for Galeem's neck. The two seraphic dragons began attacking with equal strength, slashing with their claws and ramming with their horns. The Lord of Darkness was about to reach for the floating Diamond of Universes, but Galeem started stabbing Dharkon with his angelic partisan. The Seraph of Chaos, angry about this, began whacking the Lord of Light with his demonic sledgehammer. Soon, the powerful dragons began clashing their modified wings against each other, hoping to destroy the opposite side and get what they want. While the two were attacking, Tabuu and Ragnarokk arrived.

"There!" Tabuu told Ragnarokk. "We grab the Diamond of Universes and merge us back into one!" The Master Hands then started flying towards the Crazy Hands that had broken free, getting into a battle that resulted in a shower of gold and violet glitter. Sozo and Hakai, who had become Hands themselves, spotted the Diamond of Universes and began attacking each other for one of them to grab it. Ragnarokk noticed who were once her teachers fight each other because of the two corrupted sides, and she began to cast forward pyro and cyro spells at the Hands of Creation and Destruction, trying to break up the fight.

This struggle of Tabuu and Ragnarokk did not go unnoticed by Galeem and Dharkon as they stopped fighting each other and charged straight for the God of Construction. Tabuu quickly teleported behind the seraphim, and began rapidly slashing them with golden blades. Galeem pushed Dharkon and Tabuu away and reformed his weapon back into his wings, splurging Tabuu with blue lightning and golden flames.

Dharkon began attacking Ragnarokk, keeping his blue-and-yellow eyes open for Galeem. The Goddess of Oblivion then shot a powerful laser back at the Seraph of Chaos, knocking him into the Lord of Light. Tabuu then saw Ragnarokk become an easy target for Galeem's piercing wings and Dharkon's tendrils, realizing it was too late once he stopped the seraphic dragons.

"Ragnarokk…" Tabuu gasped as the Goddess of Oblivion was slowly disintegrating into dust, fading away into a cloud that surrounded and was absorbed by the Diamond of Universes. The mind and will of Ultima was no more. The God of Construction clenched his chest, driven mad by grief despite unable to show emotion. He turned towards the two dragons, pissed off by what they did. Before Galeem and Dharkon could even touch him as they charged towards him, trying to push each other away with brute force, Tabuu could do the only thing that would also imprison his own life: banish the seraphim.

The God of Construction used his magic to create Chains of Light and Darkness: the darkness on his right and the light on his left. He bound Galeem in Chains of Darkness, and Dharkon in Chains of Light, and the two dragons struggled to fly away before vortexes to different dimensions spawned behind them and started sucking them in.

"For as long as you two keep your faces out of Arcus, I will be tethered to the spiritual world and remain there until the warriors of the past reunite me with the Ragnarokk. Both the goddess and the Diamond of Universes will remain in the shadows until the second reawakening of this world, and you will trapped here until I fall. Your own servants will call forth the legends that will end your doom and destroy the one that gave you these powers. That is a promise." As the holes to the different worlds grew wider, Galeem was sucked into the Light Dimension with all of his Master Hands, and Dharkon was drawn into the Dark Dimension with his Crazy Hands. Tabuu pulled the different chains back to himself and grabbed Sozo and Hakai with them. Soon, the closing of the portals resulted in a bright blast that destroyed all in its path. The Diamond of Universes transformed itself and the ashes of Ragnarokk into the neon-violet Shadow Bug that was first discovered by Sonic the Hedgehog, illuminating bring and calling the other creatures from the pit of Ginnungagap to surround Tabuu and protect him from the explosion that wiped out the entire planet.

The Mii Fighters and aliens gathered around the bodies of the First Ultimates, mourning for their loss. The remaining Shadow Bugs grabbed ahold of the Raifujin technology and carried them all to the God of Construction.

"But what about us?" one of the Mii Gunners asked.

"Our time has already been fulfilled," one of the Mii Brawlers answered, looking at the bright explosion in the sky. "Our Ultimates will make our species live on, even if their voices are already gone…" As the blast of gold and violet stretched across the planet, the Mii Fighters and aliens accepted their deaths in the fiery inferno, which spread out through all the corners of the universe. All that remained was nothing but the darkness of space. As soon as things went silent, Kirby's vision was over.

* * *

The pink puffball woke up to the Smashers gathering around Link, Young Link, Toon Link, Zelda, Sheik, and Ganondorf to see the marks on their hands were now glowing, showing that the Triforce was now completed. A huge, golden beacon flashed from the Temple of the Master Sword, letting the Smashers know where to go next.

"Let's get going," Pit said to his friends. "Who knows when Dharkon's forces grab the Triforce before we do?" The fighters then dashed off from the palace, leaving Riju, NiGHTS, and the other Gerudo and female Spirits look around the desolated town.

The Smashers went higher up to the temple, dashing down the Gerudo Desert to spot the Mephiles Spirit gliding in the air towards the golden beacon. The power of the completed Triforce spawned a castle from the temple grounds, shining brightly in all its glory.

"Mephiles?" Sonic asked, running so fast the others could barely keep up. "What's he gonna do with that Triforce?"

"The same reason why I searched for the other two pieces," Ganondorf responded. "Total control." Once the fighters made it to the empty castle, they caught Mephiles in time about to steal all three pieces of the Triforce. The crystalline hedgehog Spirit turned around to face the large group of Smashers, simply chuckling.

"Do you really think you can take me on in these kinds of outfits?" Mephiles asked, noticing how all the male fighters on the team (excluding Bowser Jr. and Ganondorf) were still in their Gerudo vai clothing. "A shame I have to do this to you…" Mephiles then snapped his fingers, a puff of smoke surrounding most of the fighters.

"That's better," Mephiles calmly responded. Once the smoke cleared, all the male fighters were back in their original clothes, with Sonic having noticed his makeup, hairstyle, and the rest of his dolled-up appearance was missing. "Don't really want to go down in history as the overlord beaten up by a bunch of feminine boys."

"Enough fun and games," Link snapped, pointing his Master Sword at the Master Legendary Spirit. "We've never seen a kind of Spirit like you physically interact with the material world. Who are you anyway?"

"Someone cunning and mischievous," Sonic answered, clenching his gloved fists.

"Thank you for clearing that up, Sonic," Mephiles responded, the pieces of the Triforce spinning around him. "There is so much more that you don't know about me…" The crystalline hedgehog then turned back at the Triforce and raised his hands triumphantly. Beams of blue, green, and red directed themselves into Mephiles' chest, causing him to bend over. The crystalline hedgehog began laughing maniacally, the large room of the castle crumbling into a vast battlefield. Flames ignited on the sides, complete with crumbling walls and broken pillars.

The Mephiles Spirit then dissolved into ashes, which expanded and reformed into a monstrous beast powered by the whole Triforce. Two mud-covered hooves slammed into the stone floor, and two humongous, golden swords were held by beefy, green arms. This monster was clothed with torn tapestries of ancient Gerudo culture, and the face was the most terrifying. A mop of red hair flowed behind two piercing horns, and eyes of malice shined on the face of a wild boar. As the demise of a swine roared, he exposed large tusks complete with carnivorous rows of fangs.

"What the heck is that!?" Kazooie asked, she and Banjo trembling under the terrifying beast.

"That's me as Ganon, the Demon King," Ganondorf answered, tightening his fists.

"Well how do we beat him?" Chrom asked.

"I have no idea," Ganondorf responded. "I've never sensed this kind of power before. Probably ask the three Links and two Zeldas for a few pointers…" The demonic pig jumped up into the air, slashing his two swords into the ground. Each of the fighters began attacking as the Demon King simply stood there. While they punched, kicked, and cast spells at his grimy swine feet, they suddenly realized that it had no effect on the large boar monster.

"Guys, back up!" Cloud Strife told his friends, who had all noticed Ganon about to use a spin attack. The strong tornado knocked back most of the Smashers.

"I've dealt with this thing before! We have to attack that thing at the tip of the tail on the ground! If you want to go after that gem on his head, which is powering him up to near-invincibility, be my guest if you wanna die!" Young Link said, dashing towards the back of Ganon. The Demon King then noticed the group charging for his yellow-tipped tail exposed out in the open, and he began charging lightning through his swords. Electrical blasts exploded in front of the Smashers, knocking them back hard onto the floor.

"You… bastard…" Joker groaned as he took off his mask, releasing Arsene by his side as he got up. Sonic the Hedgehog, noticing that the monstrous bipedal boar was invincible all over except for the tail and the jewel on his head, dashed away from the battlefield.

"Sonic, where are you going!? Come back here! We need you!" Fox called out, he and the other fighters looking up to see Ganon, the Demon King, forged by the Mephiles Spirit and powered by the Triforce, charge up a powerful laser of a strange substance known as malice, the same material left behind by his hooves. Those that fought with fists got up in front of the group, those with ranged weapons went in the back, and those with swords appeared in the middle. However, it didn't seem to make much of a difference as the powerful Demon King that was not part of Ganondorf in any way about to burn them with all the malice of Dharkon fueling his powers. Before Ganon fired his last of malice, a powerful slash slashed through the gem on his head, cracking it. Light beams scattered in all directions from the crack, significantly weakening Ganon. As the beast roared and clenched onto his forehead, the Smashers watched as the person who attacked the Demon King was Sonic, wielding the Master Sword of the Sacred Land. The blue hedgehog looked back on his companions, rubbing his fingers on the sharp blade.

"Come on, Chosen Heroes of Hyrule," Sonic said. "In times like these, you're gonna need another Master Sword." The Hylian clothed in blue nodded, tapping the edges of his Master Sword with Sonic's.

"Hedgehog! Your hand!" the Luminary called out. On the blue speedster's right hand, the entire symbol of the Triforce gleamed on his glove, shining golden and letting him know he's the chosen one.

"Let's skewer this bastard over a fire like the pig he is," Sonic growled, licking his draconic teeth as he sped towards Ganon, the Demon King, with the Master Sword in his hand. The blue hedgehog quickly climbed on top of the monster's body to a towering height, slashing at Ganon's face as he knew it was the weakest part in the air. The other fighters charged right for the tail, attacking the tip until it began to bleed yellow pus. Ganon managed to spot this and slashed with his sword again, breathing out balls of fire that followed the fighters around. The fastest of the team outran the fireballs, including Sonic, who just slid down Ganon's back by shoving his sword into Ganon's forehead and holding onto it from there, while the slowest were protected by Mario's cape and Ireburn's Bounce spell.

Villager began growing a tree and cutting it down in front of the tail, and that just made Ganon more mad. As the beast charged forward, Ganondorf and Incineroar grabbed ahold of his hooves and held the monster down, allowing Sonic to run up and continue attacking the head. Donkey Kong then helped Incineroar and Ganondorf grab ahold of the boar-like beast's and attempt to swing him around, but the Demon King slammed his tail upon the heavyweights, stunning them for quite a bit.

Joker with Arsene began firing his boosted gun, with Banjo & Kazooie soaring into the air and grabbing onto Ganon's horns. The Demon King swung his swords blindly as the whole team was attacking his tail, with Sonic and Banjo-Kazooie keeping him occupied. The beast then shot out a laser of malice at the blue hedgehog, shaking his head hard enough to knock off the bear and bird. Sonic quickly got back on his feet, electricity zipping through his eyes all the way to the Master Sword he was holding. The Triforce symbol on his hand flashed as the speedy devil went way faster than Ganon's reaction time, dodging the giant flame-coated swords of the monster king. Sonic then started thrusting his Master Sword deep into Ganon's tail, the lightning bolts using the bleeding pus as a current to travel throughout the rest of the beast's body before he could strike the fighters where they stood. While Ganon was stunned, Sonic ran up the towering creature's back, thrusting the Master Sword deep into the Demon King's head before making circles with the blade that went down to the beast's neck.

Ganon squealed in pain, his boar-like snout dripping with black-colored mucus, the same mucus that made the malice in his laser. The Smashers watched as the blue hedgehog graphically decapitated the Demon King's head in one, clean slice with the Master Sword before he let go of the weapon, the Triforce on his hand disappearing. The head of the monster landed with a dull thud, the rest of his losing body dissolving into ashes. As Sonic landed with an awesome pose, the Master Sword he used to fight against Ganon landed inbetween the creature's horns. Once things seemed to have calmed down, the team of fighters noticed the Triforce floating up into the air, free from the darkness as the sky became brighter. The Spirits that have settled in Hyrule 2.0 all gathered around Group A, saved from the threat that is Dharkon. Chieftess Riju approached the brave warriors, surprised most of them were male to begin with.

"Before you ask, yes," Mario noted. "We were voe this whole time. Besides the point, we did our part in this mission."

"Thankfully we're one step closer to you guys no longer hearing about Dharkon," Sonic answered, wiping some of the brine of Ganon, the Demon King, off his back. "We will kick this guy's butt faster than you can call to us for help!"

"And for that, we're very grateful," NiGHTS spoke. "Until we leave from this chaotic world, your names will go down in history as the heroes who brought about the fall of the Demise reincarnation. Especially you, lab rat of the Lord of Darkness." By those words, the Smashers knew that the genie was referring to Sonic, mainly for his unpredictability.

"With that said, we all have to get going now," the ex-Brawler Ultimate Reborn said. "Those of us that were trapped in the Dark Realm have no idea where our friends were hiding and would like to know about it soon…"

The fighters then departed from the desolated castle, with all the Spirits in the Sacred Realm cheering and waving their goodbyes. When both the team and the Spirits turned their backs on the head of Ganon, the severed crown of the Demon King dissolved into a black mist, floating away into the shadowy parts of the broken palace. The mist then reformed back into Mephiles, who made his rainbow aura and transparent-red skin vanish, turning him back to normal. For whatever reason, Mephiles survived, but was not a real fighter.

"Thankfully they did not notice that this disguise of a Spirit was fake," Mephiles calmly chuckled. "They are all truly… remarkably gullible." Just then, the droplets of the pink slime reformed back into the grotesque cubic humanoid known as "Steve", genuflecting in front of the crystalline hedgehog.

"Well done, my precious Insaniton," Mephiles spoke. "It seems that you can only feast on what the past has given you as of now. Shame that you're still weak." The Stevepost, now referred to as an Insaniton, shifted back into its pink slime form, slithering into the palm of the crystalline hedgehog.

"They clearly don't know the past," Mephiles continued. "The Super Smash Brothers don't realize that I did all this. I had corrupted Galeem and Dharkon in the Mother's name. Our name." The slime then shifted into a small figurine of the goddess depicted in Ultima's nightmare, and Mephiles admired the detailed looks.

"Mother…" Mephiles went on, the bottom of his levitating legs fading into black mist. "We had been apart… for so long. I wanted us to relive these moments of death and destruction. Almighty Father, if You can hear me, You know that I'm coming for You. Your kindness and compassion for all living creatures will not save You this time. I will reunite with my true second half. I will find a way to bring you back, Mother. You and I… will be whole once more!" As Mephiles squeezed his hand, the Insaniton in his crystalline appendage spurted its pink sludge everywhere, with the green eyes and red sclera glowing as bright as before.


	72. Pt 72: Back on the Ship

The group of fighters managed to make it to Hyrule Field, where the portal back to the outside of Draxia stood. Mario brushed against the layer of the blue exit, looking back upon the Smashers they rescued in the Sacred Land. Sonic, Zelda, Mii Brawler, Young Link, Chrom, Cloud, Bowser Jr., and Ganondorf had never seen the outside world, so their first-time reactions might not be so pleasant.

"Now we have to warn you that Draxia, the World of Darkness, may shock you," Mario told the reawakened fighters. "I hope you all are ready."

"We're ready," Ganondorf responded. "Wherever Dharkon is will surely taste true evil." Some of the other fighters nodded, traveling with the group through the portal. Sonic the Hedgehog lingered for a while, not wanting to know what it was like on the other side. Fox McCloud then approached the blue speedster.

"What's wrong?" Fox asked. The blue hedgehog sighed as he looked down on the grassy ground

"I've been thinking: what if Dharkon catches me again?" Sonic answered in the form of a question. "Would I have to go through those tortures, or…?" The Star Fox mercenary looked at the rest of the fighters walking through the portal.

"If it makes you feel any better, imagine yourself in my shoes," Fox answered. "How would you take care of me if I was the one tortured and left to die, and I had complete amnesia the moment you saved me?"

"I would… probably help you deal with those struggles as well as help explain your past in full detail," Sonic responded.

"That's it," Fox chuckled, rubbing the back of Sonic's head. "I know you can remember now, but I wanna point this out: normally, you would cry just for people to think you're tough enough to deal with inner struggling, but… after what I've seen, I've finally found those inner struggles of yours. The moment you first woke up after ten years, I finally found the truth. You were nothing more than a scared, trembling child, who had just been traumatized. You feel like all this is somehow you fault, and you can't remember why." Sonic then looked back at the anthropomorphic mercenary, confident by those words.

"Well… I'm not afraid anymore," Sonic replied. "Maybe the experience I might go through might change me, whether for better or worse. All I'm hoping is that I might get stronger through each passing minute, and I'm glad you are helping me get through those minutes." Fox and Sonic then grabbed each other's hands and went through the portal together, now walking on the roots of the Great Deku Tree's deceased body. They met up with the fighters in the dystopian city, walking through the soft snowfall in the pitch-black sky. As they went through the cracked streets, Kirby looked up into the sky to see a tiny star shine through a break in the clouds, twinkling brightly as a gleam of hope in this world of death and destruction.

The group of Smashers then made it to the Undying Light, watching as parts of the floating island it was stuck in let parts of itself crumble off, the large rocks floating away into the endless abyss. Now some more of the wedged ship was exposed, with some of the rescued Spirits and Mii Fighters backing onto the deck.

"Oh, hey," Sonic spoke. "It's the Legacy."

"It's the Undying Light," Joker corrected.

"It sure looks like the Legacy," the blue hedgehog responded. "It's got the face of the ship and everything." When the Smashers approached the ship, Faker looked out from the deck. She pulled out a wooden plank for the fighters to climb onto the Undying Light, keeping it steady so they wouldn't fall over onto their backs.

"I am so glad you're back," Faker sighed, relieved that the group was safe.

"Where are the other two teams?" Mario asked.

"I'm afraid they're still not back yet," Faker answered. "Hopefully we hear from them soon." While the Smashers went inside the ship, Kirby stayed behind and showed the brown-skinned woman who they found.

"Poyo… poyo poyo… Banjo and Kazooie," Kirby spoke, with the anthropomorphic bear and Breegull waving at Faker.

"I know about those two," Faker answered. "He and his friends visited the ship while you guys were asleep. Welcome back, Banjo."

"And Kazooie," Kazooie chirped. "Geez. Why does everybody forget me?"

"Calm down, Kazooie," Banjo responded. As the bear and the bird went inside the ship, Kirby looked back at Faker. The pink puffball knew about the struggles she had to go through even if she wasn't involved in trying to rescue the fighters under Dharkon's control.

"So… I've noticed you've been gathering more memories in… that jewel of mine," Faker responded. Kirby looked at his cuddly body, coughing up the stone he kept inside himself. He held the Diamond of Universes in his stubby hands, offering it to Faker. The amnesiac warrior took the stone and placed it in her necklace, her eyes flashing the same color as the glowing stone. Once the glowing stopped, she began to remember more of her past, realizing who she truly was now.

"R-R-Ragna… rokk…" Kirby stuttered, still learning how to speak. Faker looked out into the horizon of the World of Darkness, a look of bravery on her face.

"I'm back," Faker, now knowing herself as Ragnarokk for whatever reason, spoke. She looked down at the pink demon, giving him the Diamond of Universes.

"You'll need it more than I do," Ragnarokk finished, placing her hand over the stone in Kirby's stubby hands. "Uncover more about myself." Kirby looked at the warrior's face, nodding with determination.

* * *

Inside the Undying Light, Banjo walked around the halls of the ship, admiring at how much it changed. As soon as he entered the room with the many beds, the bear-and-bird duo were met up by Joker and the Hero behind the door. The Phantom Thief and the Luminary were staring at Banjo & Kazooie suspiciously, their arms folded across their chests.

"We need to talk," Joker answered.

"It's about this Steve person you and Kazooie had to deal with," Eleven responded.

"Oh boy," Kazooie cooed, ducking her face in Banjo's backpack.

"We had been together for five years, and not once have you told us about Steve," Joker noted, relaxing his arms. "Care to explain? We're rather curious about what we had to deal with for no apparent reason." Banjo sighed, scratching the back of his ears.

"You really wanna know who this Steve person was?" Banjo asked. Joker and the Hero nodded, ready to know the truth.

"Alright then," Kazooie responded. "You ready?" The Phantom Thief and the Luminary then took a dive into the past of the Breegull and the bear, hearing about their story with Steve.

"It all started when Sonic the Hedgehog arrived in our world, just far west of Kong Island in the Banana Sea off the map of the Mushroom Kingdom," Banjo began. "The blue rodent had finished with his participation in the land's version of the Olympic Games, and he had time to race around with me and Kazooie for a while. When we lost, Sonic reminded us of a gateway to another land deep in Click Clock Wood thanks to the ongoing rumors we had never heard of."

"Probably a big mistake when the hedgehog told us before he left, because we found ourselves falling through a square-shaped pit," Kazooie spoke. "Thankfully, we made it to the other side with a way of returning."

"That was when Steve came in," Banjo said. "He looked rather friendly, with an expressionless face made out of pixels and fully formed out of blocks. There was no hyperrealistic skin, clothes, or anything. He had that goofy beard smile of his, which was also pixelated. The sad thing was he could not leave his world through the same way we got in. Despite him being unable to talk, we quickly got friendly with him."

"Steve showed us around the place," Kazooie continued. "We saw it was all made out of pixelated blocks like he was. Through no words or emotions, we saw that this place was as big as our imaginations, and that we could build whatever we wanted within the world's limits. We went on many adventures, which involved the following: raiding temples for treasure, mining valuable ores, fighting monsters, traveling to different worlds, brewing, breeding farm animals, crafting, a whole lot of stuff we couldn't do before in our world. We were the best of friends."

"That was… until the accident," Banjo told his friends. "It all started one day, when Kazooie and I were traveling with Steve through a forest of dark oaks, fighting zombies and skeletons hiding in the shade of the leaves. All of a sudden, we had discovered a mysterious pit. The entrance was covered with needles, and its shape was irregular and non-square. For whatever reason, Kazooie and I could hear… voices. Strange, ghostly voices. This would be normal to us, but not in Steve's world. Our cubic friend built a safe way down, and we followed him through it. Once we got to the bottom, we saw it was nothing more than an empty room. Steve, rather curious about what was in the dirt, dug straight ahead while we lingered behind. However, Steve left behind a note that he can only communicate through, telling us to wait for him back at his place. That was when we started to get… terrified about the place.

"We thought the screams of the undead were getting louder, and they did not come from the mobs or this blocky world. They were something far more sinister and unnatural. Steve did not seem to care for the noises since he had gotten used to surviving in the wilderness far more than Kazooie and I had. Stuff that was clearly not one of Mumbo's spell pranks started dancing around our heads, and we bolted right for the one-way entrance for escaping once we saw… two words. Two words of pink that spelt, 'She's watching'. We left the cave, waiting for Steve until midnight came. And when he got back… he didn't feel the same."

"When Steve returned, we noticed he could now blink his eyes, which was a little creepy for us," Kazooie spoke. "What was weirder still was the fact that he offered us an MP3 which played… I wanted to say 'Take on Me' but it was nothing more than a young boy screaming the lyrics with a Minecraft parody twist. Because the song itself hurt to listen, Banjo and I shut off the music entirely.

"Things got even stranger afterwards. Everyday, when we arrived in the Overworld, Steve was always off checking out the strange pit we discovered which was now identified with a bunch of torches and a sign that spelt 'SECRET PLACE'. We would usually do things on our own, and every night, Steve arrived, looking more fluid and human-like. He could move his beard like a mouth now and talk. He told us how glad he had Banjo and I here, and he really wished he said that before. Even the local villagers were being creeped out by this new Steve."

"He would always present to us a new parody song based off this world, each one worse than the last," Banjo resounded. "Such examples included: parodies of 'When I Met You in Summer', 'Closer', 'DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again', 'Eye of the Tiger', 'What Does the Fox Say', and a bunch of copyrighted songs as well as original bangers like 'Gold Digger' and 'Fight Like A Girl'. We were sure we would go deaf by how loud and obnoxious they were, and our suicidal rates increased significantly. One day, Steve didn't return from his adventure for months, so Kazooie and I took it upon ourselves to investigate the strange cave we found. Once we entered, we took no risks as we traveled through the tunnel Steve dug up."

"What we saw were gateways to many dimensions, all of which were huddled into some sort of hive," Kazooie went on. "It may sound beautiful, sure. But what we saw scarred us for life. It was the Steve we saw earlier in the labyrinth, becoming rather crazy about the changes happening to him. He believed that if he stayed around longer, he can find the secrets about the outside world we came from, and we were pretty much nothing more than tools to him. He thought our friendship for the past few months was all a lie, and he wanted to corrupt our world just like he already did in ways other than that parody music he played for us. We wouldn't let him.

"After an intense fight, Steve, fully changed into the monster you've seen him, was dangling over the edge, pleading for salvation. He wanted to be forgiven, but… he went too far beyond that point. Kazooie and I… we just left him to fall to his rumored death. We permanently sealed off the entrance into the cave, and we never saw him again."

"We didn't want to tell you guys because we were afraid you might fall into the same corruption that touched what was once our friend from another world," Banjo finished. "We wanted to protect you from the same fate." Ireburn simply laid a hand on the bear's shoulder, shaking his head.

"We won't fall for any kind of corruption," Eleven answered. "Why do you two think we survived the Movement of the Light? Besides, we get rid of Galeem and Dharkon, we get rid of the strange force that also got rid of your friend."

"You also have us at the moment, so that counts for something… right?" Joker asked. Banjo then hugged the two Smashers, with Kazooie nuzzling between their heads.

"We're glad you understand," Banjo said.

* * *

Up on the deck, Sonic the Hedgehog walked up to the deck, approaching Solid Snake. The mercenary was smoking a pack of cigarettes, taking a quick puff of the first one. The blue speedster stretched himself so he was grabbing onto the rails, and he looked beyond the vast landscape. He saw broken chunks of rock floating in the distance, covered with nature growing out of control and cities torn apart. Crystals and exotic plants illuminated the darkness, showing monster and creatures from Subspace dancing in the thundering clouds above and below. Sonic then looked back at Snake, who just took out his cigarette and blew a small cloud of smoke.

"You know those can kill you, right?" Sonic asked. "Gimme one." Snake then handed the blue hedgehog an unlit cigarette, by which Sonic snapped his fingers and a tiny flame ignited on his thumb. He lit it on the right side and took a small, quick inhale. Once he got the cigarette away from his mouth, Sonic began coughing with smoke streaming out of his mouth. The blue hedgehog quickly doused the lit cigarette with a drop of his water ability, tossing the cigarette off the ship.

"I can tell you're not really much of a smoker," Snake humorously spoke, crushing the cigarette he lit for himself and tossing it off the side. He placed the pack in his pockets, rubbing Sonic's head. The mercenary looked at the destroyed world, feeling rather sorry for the landscape.

"Do you think the rest of our friends might make it out there without us?" Sonic asked.

"Who knows?" Snake answered in the form of a question. "They might just find new pals to help them in this fight."


	73. Pt 73: Dracula's Castle

Far off into the southeast, Group B went down through solid ground mixed with tons of years and cogs normally found in clockwork. The fighters in that team were Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Peach, Dr. Mario, Falco, Diddy Kong, and the Mii Swordfighter. As stated earlier, their goal is to take care of the boss hiding down in this part of the world, hoping to defeat him and bring them another step closer to Dharkon. A lot boom echoed throughout the sky, coming from the southwest in the Sacred Land.

"Did you guys hear that!?" Peach asked, covering her ears from the sonic blast.

"Yep," Gilbert responded. "Looks like our pals down southwest took care of their business and are waiting for the rest of us to finish."

"Then let's get going and rescue some more of our pals," Falco replied, twirling his blaster as he went off to the gigantic broken clock floating in the abyss. Right at the tip of the minute hand was a blue portal leading to a subarea. The small team of fighters kept their eyes on that portal as they dashed towards the portal, but they suddenly felt a rumbling noise before Dr. Mario in front of the team set his foot on the rusty brass. Soon, they began feeling the ground crack underneath them, and a large demon skull sprung out, with a Primary jumping off the heavy object. She appeared to be Lucina, possessed by Caeda. The possessed warrior from a distance future jumped up and charged straight for the fighters, but the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn blocked her attack through a counter.

The Lucina Primary then jumped back and slashed open the locked shell, which began to growl a stunning roar. The Smashers looked in horror as they saw what was believed to be the toughest enemy in the Underworld Army: the Clubberskull. This fleshy heart-looking monster began beating its body rapidly as it looked down upon the Smashers with a furious rage. It used its two limbs like clubs, swinging them at the Lucina Primary and knocking her away.

"Oh boy," Falco groaned. "This again?"

"Well, that thing doesn't look so tough, so…?" Peach responded before she quickly dodged the Clubberskull's heavy swings. The princess and the other fighters got ready to attack while the Mii Swordfighter rushed towards the Lucina Primary, who was just getting up. Each of the Smashers began dodging the swinging club arms of the Clubberskull, while Gilbert clanged swords ferociously with the Parallel Falchion of the captured fighter.

"Pikachu! Jigglypuff! Use whatever specials you have on that beast!" Dr. Mario commanded. The two Pokémon that went with the team began using their specials, with Pikachu using Skull Bash and Jigglypuff using Rest. For the latter, Falco zipped while glowing blue, grabbing Jigglypuff from the Clubberskull's swinging arms. Its single eye stared at the fighters, slamming its fists into the ground and pulling itself closer to them. Diddy Kong hopped onto the Clubberskull, tugging on its tissue skin and trying to claw his way into the tough center, and Peach assisted him with her turnips.

Gilbert slashed hard at the Lucina Primary, scratching her face. If his sword were any closer, she would have died from that, but she continued to keep attacking the Mii Swordfighter for that. Then, the Clubberskull crushed the Lucina Primary when it spotted Gilbert and dashed towards him. Dr. Mario used his Dr. Cyclone move, hitting the Clubberskull from behind multiple times in a row. Upon this powerful attack, the most powerful beast from the Underworld Army succumbed and fell, with the Mii Swordfighter hopping out of the way before he was crushed by the falling body.

The Clubberskull's heavy weight crumbled the thin ground it was lying on, falling deep into the abyss before it could wake up. Soon, there was a faint glow of red, and the glowing body of Lucina ascended to the front of the group. The descendent of Marth fell unconsciously on the brass of the colossal clock, and both the Caeda Spirit and the shattered Dharkon Lock floated away in the black sky. Lucina, having her mind asleep for ten years, groaned as she opened her blue eyes for the first time.

"What the-? Where am I?" Lucina asked, looking at the fighters that rescued her. "You… you saved me!"

"Well, looks like you're back," Falco spoke. "It's been a full ten years since you've been captured alongside many others, but we're taking the advantage of the constant logic of this world. We're hoping you can help us what's beyond the portal." Lucina looked back upon the colossal clock, hearing the mighty ticks echo throughout the abyss without the ringing of an hour. The portal remained blue with an eerie glow of things to come, reminding the warrior princess about what lay beyond.

"Of course I do," Lucina responded, watching as the Dark Puppets and the Subspace Army slid around on the broken cogs and could. "Follow me." Lucina and the other fighters traveled around the slow-spinning arms of the clock, with Falco and Diddy Kong shooting the enemies that spotted them on their peaceful walk to the portal. After the fighters made it through safely, they were greeted by an entrance into a large castle.

"Welcome… to Dracula's Castle," Lucina spoke. The Smashers walked across the crumbling cobblestone path which fell into the abyss far behind them. From what they could tell, this was the exact same castle each of the Belmonts throughout history had taken down Dracula for over a thousand years. It was kind of in their family to be honest. Thankfully, due to the altered rules that changed constantly, it pretty much wasn't a bother.

"So we just go in and kill the guy who runs the place?" Falco asked. "Because we can totally do that. Alright then." The anthropomorphic falcon pilot pushed opened the humongous gates of the castle, letting the deep creaking of the rusted hinges echo through the empty halls as a sign of the monsters living within know who is intruding on this dark night. The fighters entered through the gate, surprised by how huge it was.

"Wow," Peach gasped with awe. "Not even Bowser has a castle like that whenever he kidnaps me and shows me around his place." Her hips then brushed against an unloaded cannon, startling her. She looked at the strange weapon just sitting there, collecting dust. The Smashers noticed this piece of detail too and stared at the weapon on wheels.

"Looks-a like this cannon is already in a locked position," Dr. Mario noted. "All we need is a cannonball to fit it into that thing. But why?"

"That," Lucina answered, pointing the small group towards a ghost. The ghost itself was of a purple mist with red eyes and sharp teeth, blocking the stairway up. "These bastards send you back to the entrance of the room when you touch them, and they can only be cleared by these cannons. Guess we better look around the place and see what we find."

The fighters looked around the empty room, and Pikachu suddenly noticed an open tomb near the stone wall, the faint glow of the moonlight shining down upon a rotting corpse wrapped up in bandages and holding a cannonball. The Pokémon quickly grabbed ahold of the huge bullet, surprised it was way lighter than it looked. The mummified corpse was disturbed from its sleep, and it raised itself up and got out of its tomb. Pikachu looked back at the monster, charging up a forward smash before the mummy could grab him. The Pokémon dropped the cannonball in the process and knocked back the mummy into dust and wrappings, with the cannonball rolling into Falco's feet. The anthropomorphic pilot picked up the ball, and the fighters saw him with the thing.

"I suppose I can put this thing in then," Falco reminded, carefully sliding the ball into the cannon. The feathers in his hands brushed against the gunpowder coating the inside of the cannon, surprised it didn't expire.

"Everybody stand back," Lucina warned. The team got behind Falco as he grabbed ahold of the string attached to the cannon, firing the cannon at the ghost. The cannonball managed to hit the ghost, and the monster combusted into a swarm of blood-thirsty bats, their eyes glowing red with lust. The Smashers attacked these small winged rodents, with Falco burning most of them down with his up special.

Once the swarm of bats was gone, the Smashers climbed up the stairs, scaling to the broken rooftops. Ghosts and demons emerged on the roof, making the fighters engage in a short fight with these creatures. Diddy Kong did flips in the air and whacked the monsters with his monkey feet while Jigglypuff used Rollout on the grounded enemies. Dr. Mario and Lucina placed their backs against each other while they jabbed and hit the incoming monsters. Once the area seemed to be clear, the Smashers decided to continue up the stairs before they were interrupted by slow, sarcastic clapping.

"Congratulations on making it this far," a voice spoke from the Daisy Primary behind them. She glided like Peach to the broken roof they were standing on, the Spirit possessing the Princess of Sarasaland revealed to be Elma, who was first spotted in New Los Angeles. The Daisy Primary slowly approached the small team of fighters, with Peach stepping up in front of the captured fighter.

"Daisy's pretty much a copy of me in terms of moveset," Peach said. "We clearly have equal power, but I'm better at using said power. Watch me." Peach thrusted her hips at the Daisy Primary, and the captured fighter used the same move as well. Their Bomber moves clashed with each other, creating a rippling effect between the two and knocking them back. Peach and the Daisy Primary then started using their forward aerials, turnips, down aerials, and many more of their toolkit while the Smashers in the small group simply sat back and watched. With enough luck, Peach pulled out a Bob-omb and threw it at the captured fighter before she followed up with strong and fast attacks.

Peach was constantly glide-canceling and spamming forward aerials, making the Daisy Primary unable to pull out a blue Toad and counter the attack. The Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom managed to use her Bomber move once more and knock out the Daisy Primary, pretty much winning the match. The captured fighter, trying to get up from the rubble of the castle, collapsed from her wounds. Daisy's Dharkon Lock shattered into the red mist, with the Elma Spirit floating away with it into the hazy moonlit sky.

"Oh… oh my…" Daisy groaned, slowly getting up. The Princess of Sarasaland looked around the rooftop of Dracula's castle, surprised by the state of the place. She noticed how dark it was, crumbling to the brim. For a vampire that preferred his castle to be tidy, it sure was a major mess. But that was supposedly expected when you have a bunch of monsters as your servants/guards.

"Where… Where am I?" Daisy asked, brushing her orange-yellow skirt.

"You're in Draxia, just like everyone else is at this point," Dr. Mario answered. "You could very well probably be one of the many souls trapped in Dracula's castle.

"So you're trying to get to Dracula Vlad Tepes, huh?" Daisy asked. "Well, I know a place that'll surely get you closer to him. Follow me." Group B followed the brunette princess up the stairs, stopping in place as she suddenly came across a large platform that was blocking a hole on top of a tower. The hole in the tower had a ladder that led straight down. Jigglypuff looked around the place until she spotted a level just at where the tower met the roof below the stairs. She gently floated to the level like a balloon, pulling it.

This triggered something in the platform blocking the way down, because it was suddenly standing up vertically, allowing the passage through. The fighters readied their weapons, preparing to attack whoever or whatever was in the hole, for they knew that there could be an ambush. Once Jigglypuff floated her way over there, she was suddenly hit by a large fart cloud. Daisy quickly grabbed ahold of Jigglypuff as the Smashers looked behind to see the Wario Primary fanning his behind, who was possessed by Thanatos. As gargoyles and winged demons climbed on top of the roof onto the tower, the Wario Primary snatched Jigglypuff from Daisy's hands. A vortex spawned behind the Wario Primary, taking himself and the lightweight Pokémon to the Final Destination version of WarioWare Inc., where Jigglypuff was tossed in front of his speeding motorbike.

Jigglypuff quickly floated in the air, keeping an eye out for the Wario Primary as he turned around and rode on the back wheel. The Pokémon used her back air and continued a string of back airs on the captured fighter, twirling in place as she used her downward aerial. She tossed the Wario Primary his bike before she used Rest off-stage, knocking the captured fighter straight into the upper blast zone. Jigglypuff was then frozen in place as the Thanatos Spirit emerged out of Wario's body, surrounding him with a stronger, faster barrier as he still thought it was worthy of defense. Jigglypuff simply fired the Spirit Sniper within her stubby hands, shattering the Dharkon Lock and freeing both Wario and the Thanatos Spirit.

Jigglypuff returned to the top of the tower with Wario's unconscious body with her, shocked when she found the whole roof covered with demon bodies, Shadow Bugs that retreated as soon as they saw her, and pale rubble with claws and wings. The fighters in Group B were successful in the fight, and they hoped to continue the mission with this much luck. Wario, after ten years of being asleep, slowly opened his eyes.

"What's-a going on here?" Wario asked, quickly sitting up with no recollection of Dharkon's invasion.

"Same as you, tough guy," Daisy answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"We're here to hunt down Dracula, the owner of this castle," Lucina answered.

"We've… been around for a while longer and are trying to defeat all the bosses of the three sub-worlds located here, and we're wondering if you can help us," Gilbert responded. Wario scratched his biker cap, thinking about his answer.

"Just here to get back home and swim in my loot," Wario answered. "If this is-a what you think we should do in order to return to our homeworlds, then so be it!"

"Great-a!" Dr. Mario cheered, giving a thumbs up. "Let's-a go!" The doctor clone slid down the ladder inside the tower, followed by Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Peach, Daisy, Falco, Lucina, Wario, Diddy Kong, and the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn. When the Smashers touched ground, they noticed they were in the cold, damp basement. The wood holding and supporting the beams was soggy and filed with maggots, and there were more ghosts, cannons, and levers to change the angles of the platforms just like the one that blocked the top of the tower. Bats and flying heads hung upside-down on the stone ceiling, diving in for their prey.

While the fighters were attacking the flying monsters, Falco Lombardi noticed that the way to the other side was blocked off by a ghost, and the only cannon facing its direction was at a different angle. So, he grabbed a cannonball, flipped several switches, and made sure that the stringing cannons and platforms made this work. Once the Star Fox pilot pulled the string of the first cannon, a cannonball fired and bounced off the multiple platforms while ramming into the bats and flying heads as well as those until the basement was cleared.

Falco, after seeing that things were calmed down, made his way to the exit, his blaster held in his hands. The crew also followed behind him. Before Falco took another step, Diddy Kong saw violet, menacing eyes glowing in the darkness of the way out. Once the captured fighter's mouth began glowing with flames, the monkey grabbed ahold of Falco and fired his Peanut Popgun at the monster hiding in the shadows. The captured fighter dashed out, latching onto Diddy Kong and grinding him against the stone walls. Pikachu used Quick Attack and pulled the enemy off the monkey with his electrical attacks. As the fighters got up and surrounded the captured fighter, they found out he was the Ridley Primary, possessed by the Dark Emperor. Subspace creatures and zombies arose from the ground, slowly approaching the fighters.

"You take care of these guys!" the Mii Swordfighter told the group as he pulled out his sword. "I'll take care of Ridley by myself!" The ex-Ultimate Reborn struck his sword against the Ridley Primary's tough hide, creating sparks that stung the captured fighter's eyes. Gilbert began twirling around with his sword in the air, slashing hard and clean until the Ridley Primary was seen with cuts on his scales. As the group was busy with swatting the monsters on the ground, the Mii Swordfighter stacked combos after combos, dealing massive damage to the Ridley Primary. The captured fighter began slashing with his tail, claws, and even wings, hoping to grab and touch the Mii Fighter.

Gilbert quickly counter-attacked, knocking the Ridley Primary back and using a forward smash. With one slash, the Mii Swordfighter cut through the head of the Ridley Primary, winning the battle and defeating the captured fighter. The monsters retreated back underground, and the fighters looked back to see the unconscious body of Ridley shatter free from the Dharkon Lock. The red mist and the Dark Emperor Spirit floated away, never to reunite with the last Space Pirate. Ridley, slowly waking up, held onto his head as he looked at the group of fighters.

"Uh… did I miss something?" Ridley asked.

"A lot," Wario answered. "We've been out for ten years and our pals had to deal with our losses. Suppose you can join us in this fight."

"And that I can," Ridley responded with a smug grin on his scaly face. "If we make it to the other side up these stairs, we might just find a way to Dracula's throne room. Follow us." Daisy and Wario joined Ridley's side as they climbed up the wooden stairs to the storage closets, and the rest of the group followed after them.

Little did they know that there was another challenger waiting for them upstairs. That challenger was also one of the many fighters to survive the Movement of the Light and has not shown his or her face… until now.


	74. Pt 74: The Legendary Hungry Wolf

Group B made their way up the stairs, their hands brushing against the rough, cold cobblestone walls. Bits of the cement holding the bricks above their heads were beginning to flake and fall out, but not by much to cave in upon the Smashers.

"I… was not expecting so much from this," Gilbert sighed. "All this fighting. All these ambushes. Why does this keep happening? Is it really worth it? These are the questions I'm most worried about asking. I'm hoping you guys understand…"

"We understand completely," Daisy answered with a cheerful heart. "After all, that's what friends are for!"

"Through thick or thin, we will break through and come out victorious!" Falco spoke. "We've faced with much crazier crap before in our lifetimes. Why is this time any different?"

"Oh, I dunno…" the Mii Swordfighter responded with sarcasm. "Maybe it's because the enemies we're facing are brothers who hate each other. One wants perfection and restriction of freedom, the other threatens to destroy all rules and make anything possible. If any side wins, it results in defeat. OUR defeat."

The other fighters did not know how to respond to this situation. They were trapped in a castle filled with Dracula's monsters that work for Dharkon. Supporters and Primaries can ambush them at any point. What matters is that they take down the Seraphim of Order and Chaos and stop this madness there and now. Whatever was going to happen next surely would not be good if they don't do something.

Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Peach, Daisy, Dr. Mario, Falco, Lucina, Wario, Diddy Kong, Ridley, and the Mii Swordfighter managed to go up the stairs only to be met by a dead end: a large stone wall. Wario simply walked up to the front of the group and began winding up his fist, charging a powerful forward smash to break down the wall. As the group peaked out, they noticed by the stonework that they just came out from a large fireplace according to the ashes they were stepping on. The fireplace frame itself was carved and decorated with human bones, the faint candlelight melting the wax onto some of the skulls.

The room itself was large and vast, with pillars supporting the domed roof. Glassy chandlers hung from the ceiling, their crystalline ornaments reflecting the moonlight into faint rainbows on the cold floor and carpets. There were holes in the floor covered by vents, which easily led to the furnace deep within the castle as a means to warm up the ballroom.

"Good Lord, this place is freezing," Falco sighed, ruffling his blue feathers. "Would be nice if they heated up the place once in a while." As soon as Falco said that, one of the lids covering the furnace vents blasted off from a fiery pillar, which was already under the anthropomorphic fighter's bionic leg at the time. Falco quickly backed away to prevent his leg from melting, he and his pals surprised by the huge blast of fire burning on the floor. The vent then cooled down, and the flame pillar sunk into the floor. Plenty more of the vents were bursting with fire and scaring off the vampire bats hanging from the ceiling.

There were plenty of monsters and Supporters crawling out from the different cracks in the room, with the Shadow Bugs escaping from the vents unburnt. Spiders slithered down their thin but strong webs, the gargoyles spread open their stone wings and roared as they stretched. The living statues crashed through the stained-glass windows, meeting up with the Primids, Supporters, and mummies approaching the Smashers slowly.

"Everybody, get behind me," Lucina spoke, pointing her Parallel Falchion at the monsters surrounding the group.

"No way!" Ridley spoke out, his mouth dripping with a flammable acid. "If you're gonna keep us covered, then I'm going with you!"

"There's too many for us to take down…" Peach held on tight to the vegetable she plucked up, her gloved-white fingers clenching tightly to the long, thick leaves. "Even with our combined strength, I don't think there would be enough to escape this room." Both Peach and Daisy quickly jumped out of the way when they found out they were standing on another vent about to erupt with a flaming pillar. The princesses watched in horror as the flame pillar exploded outside, nearly burning their long skirts.

"I guess this is the end, huh?" Falco nervously chuckled, he and the fighters backing up to the fireplace. "Well I ain't going down like this. We're gonna have to fight back!"

"Before we go down, there's something I wanna get out of my chest-a," Wario sighed with guilt. "Years ago, back when we were attending the Olympic Games, I would-a always leave my boogers inside Mario's cap whenever we went to the showers in the boy's locker room." The fighters looked at Wario, their faces filled with utter regret, with Dr. Mario turning a pale white in the face.

"That's gross…!" Gilbert exclaimed in utter disgust.

"So that's-a why my hair felt-a sticky after I showered, back when Mario and I were one and the same person…" Dr. Mario muttered, scratching his brown hair.

"No more talking about each other's snot!" Falco called out, pointing his blaster at the charging monsters and Supporters. "We've got company!" Incoming gargoyles dove straight for the group, their stone fangs grinding against their hardened beaks. However, before any of the gargoyles could lay a hand on one of the Smashers, they were suddenly launched to the group's right. The moving winged statues shattered the second they rammed into the stone floor, with nothing but rubble remaining.

"What the-? Who's there!?" Daisy asked. The other monsters stopped for a brief moment before they turned around to face the opponent that attacked them. And the other fighters were surprised by the new challenger waiting for them to arrive in Dracula's Castle.

The fighter's structure was rather fit, and his fingerless black gloves showcased a burning flame hotter than the furnace below the ballroom. The new fighter was wearing a white t-shirt with a red vest and blue jeans, his flowing blond hair tied behind his head and hidden under a red-and-white cap which read "Fatal Fury".

"Power Geyser!" the stranger cried, jumping high into the air and clenching his flaming fist. The monsters charged right for the stranger until he rammed his fist into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked back Dharkon's soldiers. He used a variety of martial arts moves completely different from Ryu and Ken to fight back against the monsters. A fireball charged up in the stranger's hands and was released into one of the empty vents, traveling down the furnace and overheating it.

The stranger used his powers to suddenly sense the group in the same room, and he quickly grabbed each and every one of them. As he ran out, the monsters chased after the mysterious fighter before they were engulfed in a powerful explosion that covered up the entire ballroom.

The Mii Swordfighter, Ridley, Wario, Lucina, Daisy, Peach, Dr. Mario, Falco, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Diddy Kong all squirmed out of the stranger's clutches once they escaped the collapsing ballroom. Each one of the fighters looked up to see the stranger holding out his hand. He grabbed ahold of Peach's delicate hand and gently lifted her back up, letting her adjust her balance.

"Sorry to handle you like that, Fair Lady," the stranger chuckled, delicately kissing her hand. Peach went red in the face, looking away in embarrassment while giggling. Daisy, filled with a bit of jealousy, got herself up and stormed to the new companion.

"Uh… what about me?" Daisy asked, giving the stranger a suspicious glare.

"Oh, yeah… sorry…" the stranger chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Terry Bogard, otherwise known as the Legendary Hungry Wolf. I take it you people haven't been around the block a few times, haven't you?"

"We… just woke up here," Lucina answered, keeping her blade by her waist. "Some of us have no idea it had been ten years ever since our capture."

"Oh, ten years," Terry responded with familiarity. "Right… that was the time Dharkon took over against his brother, right?" The faces of the Smashers lit up in surprise, suddenly knowing that this new guest is talking about the Seraphim of Order and Chaos.

"You know about Dharkon?" Gilbert asked in shock. "We've been hunting him down ever since Galeem was defeated, and we really thank you for saving us back at the ballroom."

"Just doing my job, birdie," Terry spoke with a boastful voice, adjusting his cap. "Plus, I don't really think I need a helping hand ever since I split up from the Forgotten Resistance days ago…"

Forgotten… Resistance? Is that what this new guest said? Did he just admit he worked for the rebellion long before the fighters saved from Galeem woke up?

"You wouldn't happen to be one of the survivors of the Movements of Light and Darkness, would you?" Dr. Mario asked. The non-blood son of Jeff Bogard looked at the Prescriber, shaking his head and chuckling.

"Of course I am. Why would you say that?"

"It's just we met up with a… few of your friends back at the Undying Light," Peach spoke. "They're alive and well. Don't worry."

"Oh, thank God," Terry sighed. "I was becoming worried about Piranha Plant, Joker, Hero, Banjo & Kazooie…"

"Who're… Banjo & Kazooie?" Falco asked. From Terry's perspective, these fighters clearly haven't seen the bear and Breegull duo at all. This was pretty obvious considering they were only found by Group A.

"All we know is that Joker and the Hero left with Group A southwest, and Piranha Plant is with Group C," Falco answered. "I don't think we have any idea who Banjo & Kazooie are. Maybe we can meet up with them once we… defeat Dracula Vlad Tepes."

"I see…" Terry spoke, looking back at the empty hallway. "Well then, I suppose we make our way to Dracula's throne room and slay the vampire. I've been wandering these halls for quite some time. Perhaps I can give you a tour?" The other fighters nodded, already getting up and preparing for their adventure.

"Oh? You wanna get going already?" Terry asked again.

"Lots of our friends are still trapped in the darkness, and we need to rescue all of them as quickly as possible," Wario responded. Terry Bogard then adjusted his cap and popped his knuckles once he heard the news, running straight for the staircase to take the Smashers to the next room at the end of the hall. However, upon reaching the first step, Terry's senses picked up again, feeling some power and raw energy coming from… above him?

The Legendary Hungry Wolf quickly jumped back once he heard a flaming fist burn up above him, surprised out of his wits when he saw the Ken Primary land right in front of the group.

"Ken? Hey, wassup, buddy? I haven't seen you since the crossover days!" Terry spoke, cheerfully waving towards the captured fighter. The South Town Hero then looked behind himself to see the group he was traveling with huddle behind him, readying their weapons. Terry looked back at the Ken Primary, noticing the captured fighter was possessed by a powerful rival known as Akuma.

"I… take it he's not your friend?" Terry asked, shrugging shortly after. "That's fine. I got it from here…" Terry planted his fists in the stone floor, gathering the chi found within the castle. The Hungry Wolf powered himself to a stronger level and quickly parried the Ken Primary's foot as soon as he saw it flying towards his face.

Terry did a roundabout kick, his red sneakers burning bright with flames as he began hitting the captured fighter at the arms. The Ken Primary tried to use a Focus Kick, but Terry quickly ducked and grabbed the leg. His burning fingers scalded the captured fighter's bare foot, the Ken Primary screaming in pain. Terry managed to throw the captured fighter at the wall and used his Burn Knuckle move before the possessed Smasher could react.

Due to his blistered foot, the Ken Primary could only hop in place and do his best to balance himself as he tried to unleash a charged Hadoken. Terry Bogard quickly reacted and continued attacking the captured fighter with his Hakkyokuseiken technique, building up plenty of damage to finish off the Ken Primary while the other fighters in the group simply watched in awe.

Terry simply sent out his Power Wave move to finish the job, instantly KO-ing the Ken Primary with a soft touch. As the captured fighter succumbed to the Legendary Hungry Wolf, the tendrils of the Dharkon Lock slithered around Ken's body, shattering into the red mist. Both the mist and the Akuma Spirit flew out of the castle, leaving Ken's Fighter Spirit to reunite with his true vessel.

Ken, for the first time after ten years, opened his eyes to see Terry's hand reaching out to him. He was rather confused when he saw this strange warrior kneeling before him, thinking about how Terry managed to survive Galeem's attack.

"Terry?" Ken asked, standing up with a confused face. "Out of any of the fighters that could've rescued me, you're the one who saves me from Dharkon?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Terry answered, walking up the stairs. He looked back at Group B, with Peach and Daisy already helping Ken onto his feet.

"C'mon, people," Terry reminded. "In a haunted castle like this, there's no time for slowing down." Hearing the wailing noises of several ghosts, the members of the group followed Terry up the stairs, ready to take down Dracula.

* * *

Deep within the darkness of the Dharkon Void, the Seraph of Chaos watched the second group traverse through the long stairway, taking down winged monsters and Supporters, with Terry Bogard burning most of the foul creatures down. Just then, Mephiles, disguising himself as a Spirit, arrived behind Dharkon.

"I know you have tried your best, Mephiles," Dharkon softly growled, his blue eye looking at the crystalline hedgehog Spirit. "Despite transforming into a beast that could have slain the group in the Sacred Land, it was not enough to fully take them down… isn't it?"

"First of all, the Triforce of this land wasn't even real, and the rodent you let escape… Sonic, was it? He… managed to use the Master Sword of that realm and slay me as Ganon, the Demon King," Mephiles responded.

"I suppose after that terrifying encounter, I could give you a long vacation," Dharkon spoke. "Go for now. Your services are no longer required in this situation."

"Very well…" In the blink of an eye, Mephiles vanished, not once having his disguise uncovered. However, before he vanished, the small Insaniton poked out of his crystalline spines. That tiny slime was a sign of things to come. Dark, horrible things. Only Tabuu noticed this as he tugged on the Chains of Darkness, trying to escape. Alas, the Construct God was bound to the bars of Galeem's cage, where the seraphic dragon laid bound up in his restraints and shackles. A small smile creeped up on his face as he watched the Hungry Wolf tackle the ghosts and zombies on the roof with fiery fists through Dharkon's magical mirror.

"This new guest that has emerged from your shadows… Terry Bogard, isn't it?" Galeem asked his brother. "He sure looks like a challenging opponent. Look at the way he fights: an orphaned boy forced to grow up on the streets, attacking like a vicious canine with the lustful fire of action and danger. Surely, he sees you as his greatest challenge yet. Do you wish to give up now to avoid your blood on his fiery hands?" Dharkon's single eye looked back at the Seraph of Order, his breath growling like a dragon's.

"My servants will drag him down to the bottomless abyss of this world," Dharkon responded. "Give him time, and he will surely fall…"


	75. Pt 75: The Clock Tower

Back at Dracula's Castle, another gargoyle spotted the group traveling through the castle. Once it tried to fly towards them and attack them, it was met with a fiery fist from none other than Terry Bogard himself. The Legendary Hungry Wolf found himself in a pile of zombies who were trying to bite, claw, and feast on his flesh. Luckily, Falco and Ridley arrived in time and attacked the monsters, getting them off Terry's back.

"I really appreciate your help, guys!" Terry spoke with a cheerful heart as he looked back at the group of fighters pinning down bats, gargoyles, Supporters, and several spiders that crawled onto the hole in the roof they were now on. The South Town Hero looked up to the long ladder that led to the clock tower, its rusty gears slowly moving over time to the slow ticking, always staying at the hour of midnight and not letting the bells ring. Right next to the clock tower was Dracula's throne room.

"Let's go, people," Terry spoke, stretching his hands before he sparked them up with fire. "The sooner we get to that tower, the faster we can save our universes. Plus, in Draxia, there are more monsters than you can ever count, so keep your guards up."

Terry then grabbed ahold of the ladder, climbing his way up to the clock tower. Diddy Kong, Pikachu, Falco, Dr. Mario, Mii Swordfighter, Ridley, Wario, Jigglypuff, and Peach all followed behind the Hungry Wolf, with Daisy, Lucina, and Ken about to follow after them. Suddenly, the Princess of Sarasaland noticed a violet arrow of light speeding right towards Terry Bogard, much to his surprise.

"Terry, look out!" Daisy cried, throwing a wrinkly-faced turnip at the light arrow just as it was about to hit the newcomer's face. Terry and the other Smashers looked up to see not one, not two, but three of Dharkon's Primaries waiting at the top of the ladder, those being the captured bodies of Dark Pit, Robin, and Richter Belmont.

"Figured I would bump into you people eventually," Terry spoke, moving his head to quickly dodge a glass bottle of holy water the Richter Primary tossed out, which crashed into a small pillar of aura-based fire at the bottom. Shortly after, a wall of projectiles was sent out by the Primary team, with a load of violet light arrows, thunder and fire spells, and basically axes and crosses falling right on top of the fighters. The Dark Pit Primary jumped out of the clock tower, using his own Gift of Flight to glide straight for the Smashers.

Falco Lombardi quickly jumped off the ladder, hopping onto the heads of some of the fighters holding on and kicking out his reflector. The device the anthropomorphic bird used sent back most of the projectiles at the Robin and Richter Primaries, forcing them to hide in the clock tower. Falco's reflector also conveniently hit the Dark Pit Primary, stunning him to a point where he landed right in the middle of the small band with Daisy, Ken, and Lucina.

"You take care of the clock tower up there!" Ken assured the group, grabbing ahold of the Dark Pit Primary's neck. "We'll take care of this guy! We can just meet you up there!" Terry took those words as a sign and waved his hand upward, signaling the rest of the fighters to follow the South Town Hero.

"You… don't know who you're up against, don't you?" the Dark Pit Primary growled with a devastating, feminine voice completely different from the shadow angel. Bytans and Towtows stormed up the rooftop, charging straight for the three fighters. Lucina pushed against the brute force of one Towtow and pushed its body into multiple reproducing Bytans, and Daisy and Ken were busy avoiding the swinging blades of the Dark Pit Primary, who was possessed by the Amazonian nymph Pandora.

"For Dharkon's reign!" the captured fighter snapped, slashing straight for Ken. The Dark Pit Primary quickly used his Electroshock Arm, but Ken used his Focus Kick and tackled his possessed opponent. Daisy and Lucina were busy keeping the neverending wave of Towtows and Bytans away from Ken and the Dark Pit Primary until their partner threw the captured fighter at a nearby Bytan. That was when the two princesses stopped attacking and simply countered the rest of the enemies off the roof, leaving the three Smashers against the Dark Pit Primary.

"Alright, buddy. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." Ken rolled his neck side to side, cracking the bones in his spine as he clenched his fists. The Dark Pit Primary simply chuckled, his fingers flowing with a red aura as he draped his hand across his cheek.

"Who said there was a way in the World of Darkness?" Pandora's Spirit asked within the body of the shadow angel. The captured fighter split his weapon into two blades and ran towards the three Smashers while continuously yelling. Daisy got in the way of the Dark Pit Primary's forward smash, pulling out her blue Toad companion to protect her. The blades cut deep into the head of the blue Toad, and he began spitting out spores all over the captured fighter's black clothes.

Daisy then grabbed ahold of the Dark Pit Primary, tossing him around and walling him with aerials. Lucina did the same too, poking with her Parallel Falchion and helping Daisy build up damage. Once he was at a decent kill percentage, the captured fighter tried using his Gift of Flight to glide away before he was met with a fiery Shoryuken from Ken. Soon after that, the Dark Pit Primary's body smashed into the roof, creating more rubble than there already has been. The Dharkon Lock surrounding Dark Pit shattered, and the Pandora Spirit was freed. As soon as the red mist and the Spirit flew away from Dracula's Castle, the black-clothed angel woke up.

"Ugh…" Dark Pit trembled under his personal weight, trying to keep his posture upright as his opened his brown eyes to look at the cold, dark castle around him. He noticed Ken, Lucina, and Daisy surrounding him, and he stared at them with utter confusion.

"Where the hell am I?" Dark Pit asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," Ken answered, pulling Dark Pit onto his feet. Lucina put her weapon back in its sheath, grabbing ahold of the ladder and climbing it up to the clock tower.

"Our friends are probably waiting for us," Lucina told the Smashers. "When we meet up with them, we might have a shot at beating Dracula Vlad Tepes." When the warrior princess climbed up the ladder, Ken, Daisy, and Dark Pit followed without question.

* * *

Literally minutes earlier, the other fighters in the group followed Terry into the clock tower. The insides were filled with humungous gears, constantly moving in a slow manner. The only paths best to take were blocked by the untouchable ghosts, guarding the cannons necessary to knock down the clustered gears and get to Dracula's throne room.

Flying voodoo heads flew out of the cracks, their elongated mouths stretching to release their unholy screams as they flew straight for the group. Falco and Diddy Kong shot down multiple heads before they were tackled by many of them, but Dr. Mario trapped the voodoo heads attacking his two animal friends with his electrical-charged cape and swung them around like a punching bag. The prescriber eventually hit the voodoo heads so hard inside his cape that the dead heads fell into the cogs, clogging the gears and coils and forcing the whole clock tower to start shaking. The group saw it as their chance to run to the way towards the throne room while the waves upon waves of enemies were distracted.

Lucina, being the first fighter to climb up to the clock tower and get up to the floor, felt her fingers in one of her hands crushed by a strong boot. She cried in pain as she looked up to see the Robin Primary waiting for her up there.

"Why, it's nice meeting you here, Lucina," a familiar voice spoke from the captured fighter, twisting his foot and making the blue-haired princess gasp as her fingers were crushed. Ken, Daisy, and Dark Pit looked up to see the strange face make an appearance above them, surprised on what the Robin Primary was doing here.

"I know that voice…!" Lucina snarled, trying to grab her sword with her free hand. "Vladimir!"

"Surprised to see me?" the Robin Primary asked, pulling out his Levin Sword and tomes. "I'm no longer the useless, spineless coward you once saw me as! Within the darkness where I truly belong, I am at my real power!" Once the Robin Primary began charging up Thoron, Dark Pit jumped up behind his pals and kicked the captured fighter in the face. The black angel was then caught by the Robin Primary's Nosferatu spell, feeling his energy sapped away to benefit his enemy's health like a tapeworm. Ken and Daisy suddenly punched the Robin Primary in the face, knocking Dark Pit out of the Nosferatu spell.

As the other Smashers began attacking the demons and monsters slithering around the clock, trying to avoid touching the invincible ghosts, Terry Bogard took the time to look down and see the four fighters at the entrance of the clock tower struggling against the captured fighter and his campy projectiles.

"Robin…!" Lucina snapped, her sword clashing with the Robin Primary's. "I know you're in there, Robin! You have to fight back!"

"It's no use, princess!" Terry called out, punching an incoming gargoyle in the face with a flaming fist. "From what I've experienced and heard around these parts, their souls are separated from their bodies and completely replaced! You can't simply tell them to snap out of their senses because they aren't there! Lemme help ya!" Terry kicked down a nearby cog, which rolled onto the stone floor and stretched out the coil attached to it.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Ridley asked, slashing multiple voodoo heads with his tail.

"I'm a rebel who plays by my own rules," Terry answered. "But I'm gonna do what they call a pro move." The Legendary Hungry Wolf slid down the rusty coil, his legs extended and his sneakers coated in flames. As the Robin Primary was continuously spamming Arcfire, he had no idea he would be kicked in the back by Terry Bogard until it was too late. When the South Town Hero rammed his feet at the back, Ken, Dark Pit, Daisy, and Lucina stood back and watched as the Robin Primary was kicked out the clock tower, watching with horror as the captured fighter screamed while falling to his death.

All they heard was the sound of blood and flesh splattering as well as bones crunching. When Terry got back onto his feet, he saw the cogs and coils starting to fall apart within the clock tower. Just when things seemed to get intense, the red mist of the Dharkon Lock carried Robin's healthy body up to the entrance of where the ladder met with the clock tower. The red mist gently laid the tactician's unconscious body before it flew away from the castle with the Vladimir Spirit, never to return.

"Guys…?" Gilbert asked, he and his pals at the exit trying to adjust their balance on the tumbling gears while the ghosts flew towards them. "Grab Robin and let's get out of here!" Wasting no time, Ken slipped Robin's body onto his shoulders, and the four fighters followed after Terry as he tried to figure out how to get up to their pals without getting crushed by the tumbling cogs.

"Follow my footsteps, guys," Terry told the Smashers. The Hungry Wolf watched for the cogs falling throughout the clock tower, and he wasted no time jumping off gear after gear to get to the top. Like quails when they first learned how to walk, Ken carrying Robin, Dark Pit, Lucina, and Daisy all followed Terry as he moved across the cogs, scaring off nearby ghosts with his flaming fists. As soon as the insides of the clock tower collapsed, the Smashers at the bottom made it to the exit, where they met up with the rest of their friends.

"You could have died back there!" Dr. Mario sighed with content. "What is it with you and your crazy adventures?"

"Take it from someone who's grown up on the streets with no parents and has an only brother to raise, where every day is a constant battle for survival until a tournament held by the murderer of your adopted father changes everything," Terry Bogard answered, adjusting the Fatal Fury cap on his head and flipping his blond hair behind him. Just as Terry finished talking, Robin slowly started to wake up, squirming out of Ken's arms. The tactician rolled up on the floor, looking around the mysterious stairway he was on.

From what they could tell, it was a staircase leading from the clock tower to the throne room, several feet off the ground and lacking a railing. Surely any one of the fighters could fall off, therefore forcing them to back into the clock tower.

"We… should just go one at a time," Dark Pit spoke, watching some of the rocks dislodge from the staircase and fall from this towering height.

"Can't you fly if you fall off?" Terry asked Dark Pit. "I mean, you're an angel after all."

"It's not as simple as it looks," Dark Pit answered.

"Okay: can… anybody explain to me what's happening?" Robin resounded in the form of a question. "Because… I have no idea where we are or how long I was out-" Before Robin could finish, an axe sent out by the Richter Primary hit the Elwind tome the tactician was holding at the time, its blade stuck in the hard cover.

"The least you could do is keep your eyes open!" Ridley growled as he and the Smashers focused their attention at the last captured fighter in the castle waiting for them at the entrance of the throne room.

"Why, if it isn't the uninvited guests arriving to my father's seat," an intimidating, handsome voice spoke from the Richter Primary.

"Father?" Lucina asked. The image of the Master Legendary Spirit possessing Richter flashed on his chest, revealing the half-vampire Alucard.

"My time as an Assist Trophy is far from over," the Richter Primary renowned, the spiked end of the Vampire Killer lightly hitting the side of the stairway. Without question, Robin pulled out the axe from his tome and walked in from of the group, slipping the projectile into his long robe.

"It's time we tip the scales," Robin said. "Nobody hurts me and my friends and gets away with it, not even Dharkon himself!"

"Robin!" Lucina tried to get Robin to stand down, but the white-haired tactician began running towards the Richter Primary, his Levin Sword in one hand and an Arcfire tome in the other. The Richter Primary began spamming axes, crosses, and holy water bottles, forcing the other fighters to hide in the clock tower until things calmed down. Robin began using various spells like Thunder and Nosferatu.

Projectiles were flying everywhere around the bridge, both physical objects and magical spells. Soon, Robin's flurry spell from the Elwind tome and the Richter Primary's spinning chain whip clashed with each other. The two began rapidly jabbing, obviously showing no signs of stopping. It seemed to go on forever until Robin suddenly was becoming more cautious about how much of the spell he was using. Surely it would be the end of him if he didn't have enough of the Elwind spell to recover.

Once Robin closed his tome, he pulled out his lightning-powered Levin Sword as soon as he parried the final hit of the captured fighter's rapid jab. A small smirk gleamed on the tactician's face as he unleashed a forward smash, knocking the Richter Primary onto his feet. The possessed Belmont descendant was balancing himself over the edge of the stairway, quickly throwing his weapon at a surprised Robin.

"Foolish mortal," the Richter Primary sighed, spinning around and dragging Robin along with him. The captured fighter tossed the tactician off the stairway, with the fighters looking down in horror.

 _This is my chance…_ Robin thought, pulling out his Elwind tome. It was almost empty and near the brink of uselessness. _Better make this count!_

"Elwind!" Robin used the spell to boost himself back onto the stairway, catching the Richter Primary off-guard. The white-haired tactician pulled out the axe given to him before and wedged it into the captured fighter's skull.

"Checkmate!" Robin chuckled, standing back as the body of the Richter Primary simply rolled down the stairs. The Smashers watched the corpse until it stopped at the end, shielding their eyes from the bright light that enveloped Richter's body. The Dharkon Lock shattered into the red mist, floating away with the Alucard Spirit. Robin ran down the stairs and quickly held up Richter's head. The group gathered around the blue-clothed Belmont, watching as he opened his eyes. Like other reawakened fighters, Richter lacked the red aura and violet eyes of his captured self.

"Uh… did I miss something?" Richter asked, looking at the group that gathered around him.

"I literally asked that question!" Robin groaned out of frustration, covering his own face.

"Oh yeah!" Ken spoke, remembering something as he looked at the Legendary Hungry Wolf. "For those who don't know, this is Terry Bogard. Say hi, Terry." The only one of many survivors of Galeem's attack exposed himself out of the group, looking at those who haven't even been acquainted with him yet.

"Hi, I guess," Terry spoke, tightening his ponytail and adjusting his cap. "You all know me: the rebellious street fighter that masters various forms of fighting, including mastering chi energy. I'm… not really good at introducing myself to strangers in times like these, so… I suppose you wanna take down Dracula and widen up the gateway to the Dharkon Void?"

"Sure, I guess," Richter replied as he stood up, some of the other fighters rescued from the darkness in the castle agreeing in unison.

"Then let-s a go!" Dr. Mario spoke, running up the stairs to the throne room. Terry and the other fighters then followed after the prescriber, going one at a time on the thin staircase.


	76. Pt 76: Dracula Vlad Tepes

The room was dark and cold, just like all the other rooms in the castle were. Dark thunderclouds roared outside the stained-glass windows, with lightning streaking across the sky. A long carpet stained red with the blood of the monsters' victims was laid across the stone floor. The ebony throne was standing over ten feet tall, and Dracula Vlad Tepes was sitting in it at half that exact height. His pale skin and gray hair were just as present as before, his fangs stained from the red wine he was drinking from a small glass.

Dracula patiently tapped his fingers on the arm rest of the throne he was sitting in, already prepared for Group B as they ran into the throne room. The vampire looked upon the fighters with a gleam in his devilish eyes, chuckling at the peculiar warriors gathered in front of him.

"So you are the brave warriors that Lord Dharkon has warned about," Dracula spoke with a calm voice. "And not even a Belmont this time." Richter stepped out from the group, twirling the Vampire Killer in his hands.

"Your reign of terror ends right now, Dracula!" Richter snapped, with the fighters joining the Belmont's side and preparing their weapons.

"Die, you monster!" Falco cawed.

"You don't belong in this world!" the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn spoke.

"So, first you break into my castle after five years," Dracula renowned. "Then, you start freeing the servants that were given to me and were given strict orders to hunt down a certain blond-haired intruder with the white shirt. Now, you enter my throne room and threaten me with the act of murder… Bold of you to assume I fear death."

"It's not just us Dharkon has captured," Lucina objected. "You may not know it now, but Dharkon is keeping you as HIS hostage. I know you begged for him to give you your body back."

"And it's time for us to release you from the clutches of Dharkon and vanquish the darkness!" Terry yelled, his fists glowing with flames and chi energy. However, Dracula simply chuckled lightly, tossing the wine glass onto the carpet. The shattered glass scattered across the carpet, leaving behind a stain of wine on the floor.

"What is a man?" Dracula asked as he stood from his throne, towering over the fighters. "A miserable pile of secrets. A ravaging beast who hungers for material things, like gold and comfort in his own home, and he fights to keep whatever was given to his greedy hands. A being who claims to be fighting for what he believes is right but falls into sin and despair at the end. A mortal that is beyond all animals, the only species who lusts for riches and reproduction. The riches, in which he can spend on food, clothing, shelter, and other necessary essentials. The reproduction, in which he can use his mate however he wants, hearing her cry for mercy, the mixture of pain and pleasure becoming all worth it in the act of creating new life."

"But enough talk," Dracula continued, flipping his cape. "Have at you, Super Smash Brothers!" The fighters prepared their weapons, watching as the towering vampire warped himself onto the floor. Diddy Kong, Peach, and Daisy started the fight by shooting peanuts and throwing the white turnips, not having enough time to react to Dracula's Dark Inferno move. Falco and Dark Pit quickly jumped in front of the three fighters and began reflecting the dark fireballs back at the vampire. Dracula paid no mind to that and teleported himself to where Dr. Mario and Ridley were standing. The pale vampire's eyes glowed red with fire, creating three projectiles of fire and sending them out towards the fighters. Dr. Mario quickly pulled out his cape, reflecting one of the fire balls, while Ridley shielded in front of Terry and Wario, taking the hit for them. As the Space Pirate was stunned, Dracula traveled to Ridley's direction as a swarm of bats, hitting Pikachu, Robin, Jigglypuff, and Richter.

When the vampire stopped in place, he spread his cape open and began unleashing magical orbs that curved around him, spreading far and wide and hitting the other fighters. Because they were pretty much disjointed from Dracula, the orbs could not be reflected by those that do have reflectors built into their moveset. Wario pulled out his motorcycle out of nowhere, and he blared his horn.

"C'mon, Terry!" Wario shouted. "We don't have much time!" The Legendary Hungry Wolf stood on the back of the bike the second it sped off towards Dracula. Wario kept an eye out for pillars of fire emerging from the ground that shot all the way to the ceiling, moving his bike left and right while Terry kept an eye out for the magic orbs.

"Yo, Ken!" Terry called out, alerting Ken as quickly as possible. The Hungry Wolf grabbed ahold of Ken's hand and pulled him onto the bike, the two of them unleashing powerful projectiles of fire as Wario continuously drove around the flame pillars and magic orbs. While Dracula kept teleporting around and unleashed orbs after every fire pillar, he was hit by the flaming projectiles from Terry and Ken. As he doused his burning cape, his pale face met with the fiery uppercut punches of the two street fighters.

Once Dracula was hit, he succumbed to the floor, trembling upon defeat. All of the magic abilities he unleashed upon the fighters was gone. When the Smashers calmed down with the attack, they slowly approached the vampire. Just as soon as they were about to leave, Dracula chuckled softly.

"You thought it was over, did you not?" Dracula asked, his voice becoming more monster-like. The vampire slowly stood back onto his feet, a black aura outlined with red surrounding him. Pieces of his clothes began to rip apart as Dracula's skin went from a pale white to a sickening green.

"This fight was only the beginning!" Dracula roared before his voice drastically changed, hunching over as his clothes were torn apart. The vampire grew large rows upon teeth to hide the fangs he once had, with claws growing on his hands and feet. Horns shot up straight from his head, and Dracula had strong, powerful muscles. He grew much larger, towering over Group B as he transformed into a humongous, winged demon. From that transformation, Dracula Vlad Tepes was no more.

Peach and Daisy pulled out their Toads when they saw the second form of the vampire shoot out wailing ghosts, curving around before they tracked down the princesses. Falco and Dr. Mario got in front of them and quickly reflected the ghosts back at the green demon before they spammed their own projectiles. The winged monster jumped up into the air before landing with a powerful shockwave, growling as Pikachu and Jigglypuff landed on his back, attacking him from behind.

Dracula's claws were tainted with poison, and he viciously swiped them across his back, swatting the two Pokémon off his back. Terry caught the small fighters in time, letting the poisoned Smashers rest on his head while he began avoiding the fiery and electrical projectiles from the winged demon. Terry unleashed powerful flames from his fists, basically attacking as though he was a pyromaniac. The South Town Hero then noticed that Robin and Dark Pit couldn't jump out of the way in time before they were slammed by Dracula's monstrous fist, pummeled to the ground, and Dark Pit and Ken were next.

"Got this!" Lucina interrupted, jumping over Terry's head with her Parallel Falchion in her hand, rushing towards the two trapped fighters and pushing them out of the way to take the hit from the powerful, darkness-covered fist. The blue-haired warrior princess fell under the heavy weight. Dark Pit and Ridley ran to her rescue, trying to comfort a wounded Lucina as Dracula's claws were coated in a black aura.

"Hey, vampire!" Gilbert shouted, unleashing a powerful tornado at the demon's face. As Dracula opened his bloodshot eyes, the Mii Swordfighter stabbed one of his eyes clean off, making him bleed with a blackened ooze. As the monster held over his eye, roaring in pain as Wario, Ken, and Terry punched at his feet, the ex-Swordfighter Ultimate Reborn slid down the demon's wing, sliding off a wing and doing a backflip as he cut off the sharp end of the throne's arm chair. The Mii Fighter then got to a hiding spot from the demonic vampire, stuck his sword in the stone floor, and began carving the piece of the ebony throne into a stake.

"This'll kill him… right?" Gilbert asked himself as he held onto the wooden stake he made, placing it in a pouch on his belt and continuing the fight.

Dracula continued swiping his poisoned claws at the dodgy fighters. Even though he was half-blind, his eye was slowly regenerating due to his immortality. Richter tossed holy water at the demon's face, scalding the green skin as though it was boiling. The Smashers eventually gathered into one spot and began spamming their projectiles, ranging from Diddy Kong's peanuts and banana peels to large explosions from Terry Bogard. The Mii Swordfighter ran up to the group in time, twirling the wooden stake in his hand.

"Keep your eyes on me, Dracula!" Gilbert spoke, grabbing a bottle of holy water from Richter and sprinkling it onto the tip. The winged beast fired out ghosts from his voracious fangs, but the Mii Fighter was too fast for them to catch up. Gilbert eventually climbed onto Dracula's chest, avoiding the poisonous claws before he lodged the stake right into the monster's chest, supposedly impaling his heart.

As Dracula Vlad Tepes roared in defeat, Terry Bogard finished the fight with a flaming uppercut mixed in with his chi energy, ending the fight between the vampire. The winged demon's body began exploding in a multitude of colors, shaking not just the floor of the throne room but the entire castle as well. Bats and winged hellions flew out of the castle, while grounded monsters like mummies and spiders were crushed underneath the rubble.

"What's going on?" Daisy asked, trying to keep her balance from the shaking floor.

"We have to get out of here! Now!" Falco exclaimed, grabbing ahold of Lucina and jumping straight through the stained-glass window at the end of the room. The other fighters followed after their two friends, now falling to what was supposedly their death. Luckily, they were saved by one of the falling walls of the castle, bracing themselves for impact once they crashed into the ground. Once they were on the solid cobblestone road, the group looked back on Dracula's Castle, watching it crumble into the bottomless abyss of the cold, dark, starless night. A large blast surrounded the area, its shockwaves echoing throughout the realm. Things seemed to have calmed down afterwards.

The fighters began cheering over their victory, congratulating each other for their role in the fight. It wasn't long before they all looked at Terry Bogard, who was adjusting the cap on his head.

"So… I take it there are some of you that haven't left this castle in years," Terry spoke, looking at Daisy, Wario, Ridley, Ken, Dark Pit, Robin, and Richter. "I've been entering and leaving the place for quite some time, and the outside world is far more disturbing than what you've encountered. I'm probably taking a wild guess that your friends have already suffered out there?"

"That's right," Lucina responded, trying to steady her balance before Falco kept her upright. "So just… prepare yourselves for what you're about to see…" The reawakened Smashers looked at each other nervously, wasting no chances as they all followed Pikachu and Jigglypuff into the blue portal to the World of Darkness.

"Pika pika!" Terry, Peach, Falco, Lucina, Diddy Kong, Dr. Mario, and Mii Swordfighter all tagged behind the fighters, heading out of the sub-area victoriously.

* * *

As the fighters emerged from the portal onto the colossal, broken clock, Daisy, Ken, Dark Pit, Richter, Wario, Robin, and Ridley were all shocked by the world they were forced to live in. Storm clouds rolled high in the sky and down below the bottomless abyss, thunder echoing throughout the darkened planet.

"Oh my…" Daisy gasped with shock. "We had no idea how bad this got…"

"And it all began five years ago," Terry sighed. "Lead the way, bird boy."

"Roger that," Falco Lombardi chuckled, checking the compass on the device secured around his wrist. The Star Fox pilot then journeyed down the path made out of coils, and the group followed after him, making their way back to the Undying Light.

* * *

Back on the ship, Sonic the Hedgehog rested his arms on the railing of the deck, his fingers trailing across the scars that damaged his face. The blue rodent still could not believe that this happened. At the beginning when Galeem first arrived, why didn't Sonic use the Chaos Emeralds to escape? Could they have vanished without a trace at a bad time? Just like that?

The blue rodent's eyes were no longer the emerald green they once were. Instead, all that remained was nothing more than irises that were completely different colors from each other. A reminder of the traumatic event that changed him into an uncontrollable god. Plus, he hadn't seen his home planet in twenty years, so his friends would not recognize him even if they were attacked by Galeem.

"I can tell things are on your mind, huh?" Fox asked, walking up next to Sonic and resting his arms on the railing. "Yeah, I hope our pals survive out there in the chaotic world. Who knows what crazy things they'll run into?"

"I think they already did," Sonic sighed with worry. "I just hope they're okay… What are my friends gonna think of me when they see me as a god too afraid to even control his powers?" Fox McCloud rested a hand on the blue hedgehog's shoulders, shaking his head.

"I don't know, kid," Fox answered. "I don't know. Until then, the least we can do is help you control your powers. Since there are basically no dragons in sight to help us, and Ragnarokk isn't even a dragon yet, that doesn't mean I can at least train you." Sonic looked back at his best friend, letting go of the railing.

"Let's get ready in our battle positions," Fox spoke, pulling out his blaster. The blue hedgehog stood in a form where he crouched in place, his eyes gleaming with blue lightning.

"First thing you wanna focus on: what is it that you're afraid of so much you completely forgot it?" Fox asked, slowly moving circles around his training partner.

"…It's what Galeem and Dharkon did to me," Sonic answered, feeling the currents of lightning fizzle through his fingers. "Well, Dharkon anyway since he changed me into a Dragosmo…"

"C'mon, Sonic," Fox sighed. "You can try a bit harder than that. Try to remember something traumatic from your past outside of your curse." The blue hedgehog tried to clear his mind, casting out the two dragons from his mind. Soon, his mind was completely empty… and he could think of nothing impactful in his life.

"I… can't," Sonic responded. "I know I remembered it before, but Dharkon messed up my memory so much it's still a little hazy. Whatever it was… I hope it wasn't important."

"Well, you tried your best," Fox sighed. "Now… concentrate on your emotions. Control them and let your feelings flow. That's how I fight, and probably how you fight. Just imagine me as an enemy, probably a hostile robot. How would you react with your newfound powers?"

"Well," Sonic answered with a smug look on his face, lifting up his hands. The ground started rumbling underneath the Undying Light, pieces of the large floating island falling apart. Even the Star Fox mercenary was getting shocked by the raw power the blue hedgehog had.

"Sonic…! I think we wanna stop. This is overkill…" Fox spoke nervously, afraid that the large rocks Sonic summoned would destroy the ship entirely. The moment it took time for the blue hedgehog to realize this was too much, the large blast from Dracula's defeat echoed throughout the sky, catching Sonic off-guard. This caused the blue hedgehog's current powers to go out of control, causing him to drop the rocks a little too hard.

The entire island started crumbling, forcing the Mii Fighters and rescued Spirits outside the ship to run back into the ship. Sonic began to stumble from the powerful shockwave, hugging Fox in fear of what he had done.

"It's not your fault," Fox spoke, noticing Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Peach, Daisy, Dr. Mario, Falco, Lucina, Dark Pit, Wario, Diddy Kong, Robin, Ken, Ridley, Richter, Terry, and Mii Swordfighter all trying to catch up to the ship before the solid ground it's trapped in crumbles. Sonic noticed that too and ran to the edge of the deck, watching Group B hop onto the floating rubble in an attempt to climb onto the Undying Light.

"Uh, guys!" Sonic called out to his pals in the ship. "We've got company! I think it's our pals!" Not wasting any time, the blue hedgehog made vines and leaves emerge from his hands, twisting and forming them into a stable ladder for the team to grab ahold to. Terry was the first to hold on, grabbing the hand of Ken, who held onto Falco, then Lucina, then Ridley, and so on. Mario and Link were the first to emerge onto the deck to find the group has returned and ran to Fox's and Sonic's aid.

"Hoist us up! Quick!" Terry yelled, he and the teammates of Group B getting a firm grip on the ladder. The four fighters pulled up the ladder, getting the returning group onto the deck before the entire island crumbled off the ship. As the rubble cleared away, the entire Undying Light itself was exposed, over a hundred times larger than the tiny ship they once had before.

"See? I told you it was the Legacy," Sonic spoke as the Undying Light itself was, in fact, the exact same ship that was believed to have been destroyed by Galeem ten years ago, and in perfect condition too. The vast buildings were still intact, with the large cannons built front and center. It was a pretty big surprise that the whole thing was hidden in the rubble and the crew hasn't noticed that despite having passed through many doors before.

"I cannot believe I didn't notice that," Mario gasped in wonder, surprised that this whole island basically rebuilt what was once lost. However, Link didn't seem to care about the ship and instead focused on the recruiter teammates.

"Hey, guys!" Link called out to the fighters in the ship. "Group B is back!" Upon hearing that, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, Ness, Captain Falcon, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Zelda, Marth, Young Link, Ganondorf, Chrom, Mr. Game & Watch, Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Snake, Pokémon Trainer, Olimar, Toon Link, Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, PAC-MAN, Shulk, Bowser Jr., Duck Hunt, Ryu, Cloud, Inkling, Simon, Incineroar, Joker, Hero, Banjo & Kazooie, and Mii Brawler all ran outside to meet up with the group that had successfully returned on their mission safely.

"Father!" Lucina cried, running towards Chrom and hugging him lovingly. Robin joined in on the tender moment between father and daughter, with the descendants of Marth rubbing his white locks of hair.

"Pittoo!" Pit cried, tears running down his face as he squeezed his black-clothed clone in his arms. "I missed you so much! I hope Lady Palutena's okay!"

"Get off, and stop calling me Pittoo!" Dark Pit groaned, trying to push the clingy angel away from his face.

"Good to see you, pal!" Ryu chuckled, patting his friendly rival Ken on the back.

"It sure was dark and scary back there at the castle, but look who we found!" Ken responded, dragging the Legendary Hungry Wolf out of the crowd of fighters.

"Terry Bogard?" Joker asked.

"Oh my gosh!" Ireburn squealed happily as he and the Phantom Thief ran towards the South Town Hero and hugged him. "It's Terry!"

"We were so worried you would be consumed by the darkness!" Banjo replied, joining in with the group of survivors.

"Same for you, guys!" Terry laughed before his expression changed. "Any idea where Piranha Plant and our second teammate went off to?" Sonic looked at Fox confusingly upon hearing that statement.

"You brought a Piranha Plant on board with you?" Sonic asked with surprise.

"It's a long story," Fox sighed. "Regardless, the plant you're looking for is off north, traveling with the rest of the awakened fighters. The whereabouts of your friend is… currently unknown. Hopefully you can see them again once they deal with the chaos over there."

"I see…" Terry responded, looking back on the huge buildings on the Legacy. "Well, we'll be heading inside the ship. See you people later." Soon, the four survivors walked into the ship, with all the other fighters walking in. Only Kirby remained outside, looking into the storm clouds up north. A twinkling light glimmered in the darkness, watching with worry about the third group traveling over there. As soon as he walked to the center of the deck, a red cloud mixed with the Spirits of captured fighters flew in from the southeast. They all entered inside the body of the pink puffball, triggering what was pretty much his longest vision yet.


	77. Pt 77: The Dragon Clan

Kirby felt nothing around his body. He wasn't standing on ground or anything. In fact, it seemed as though he was floating in space, his rainbow aura trailing behind him. The pink puffball touched the Smash Ball on his forehead, rubbing his golden eyes. As he looked around, he noticed that the darkness around him… somehow felt familiar. Kirby couldn't quite place it, but he felt like he had been there before with his pals.

Kirby then slowly but surely moved around the mysterious realm, confident he was in another vision. He watched the lightning streak across the purple-black sky, watching the platforms of blue glass float by. The pink puffball hopped onto one of them, starting to remember where he was. Suddenly, a Shadow Bug passed through his cuddly body, making him grow rather curious. Soon, another Shadow Bug passed through him, and it wasn't long before a whole swarm of them soared through the darkened sky, all of them floating towards a cyan light.

Kirby jumped off the glass platform he was on, following the Shadow Bugs as they crowded around the cyan light. As the brightness dimmed a bit, Kirby could make out that the shape in the light was Tabuu, the red eye in his chest glowing as he slowly woke up. He looked around the strange dimension, his abstract wings outstretched.

Tabuu's vision spanned around the area, teleporting himself around. The Construct God was accompanied by the Shadow Bugs, admiring the strange new world he woke up in.

"How long was I out…?" Tabuu asked, looking back at the violet clusters. Tabuu, without question, cast a spell to open him a portal to the outside world. However, as he was about to leave, he found himself unable to move beyond the portal. Chains of Light and Darkness suddenly appeared around his wrists and ankles, supposedly binding him to the strange realm he woke up in. They vanished once he pulled back, but he could still feel them cuffing and shackling him.

"Ragnarokk… I will find you one day," Tabuu sighed. "My powers cannot bring you back as of now…" When the God of Construction looked out through the portal he created, he saw a clear, blue ocean stretching across the horizon. There was land, but the mountains and forests were completely different from the world of Arcus. Even the sky itself was a different shade of blue.

But how was Tabuu going to learn about the outside world in this state? He had sacrificed his own freedom in order to imprison his own brothers. After what they did, Galeem and Dharkon could never be forgiven. He had to do something about this. He needed to learn about what happened to the planet he grew up in. When he and Ragnarokk were still one as Ultima. Who knows how long he was asleep in his new dimension? Days, weeks, maybe even years.

Just then, a Shadow Bug flew up closer to his ear, making a noise that was so quiet no one could think to speak or understand it. However, it seemed as though only Tabuu could understand these Shadow Bugs. These little creatures explained in full detail about how they were the only species to come to his time of need, trapping themselves in the darkness with him. He had been sleeping in this new dimension for a thousand years, imprisoned in what they called "Subspace". The Shadow Bugs had made this strange world their new home. While Tabuu himself cannot leave this dimension, the Shadow Bugs can go in and out whenever they pleased through the window he created. For whatever reason, Kirby could understand what these creatures are saying even if it was just a vision.

"I need you tiny creatures to be my eyes…" The God of Construction then set out the creatures that accompanied him all these years, letting them hide in the shadows until they returned with the information he needed.

Three days had passed, but to Tabuu it felt like only an hour. Seems like time moved differently in Subspace. The Shadow Bugs soared through the blue sky, entering their home realm through the window the Construct God created. They floated near his ears, transferring unheard sounds to the cyan being.

"So Sozo and Hakai have no memory of their past as dragons, and they recreated this world to make it look like Terra millions of years ago, with humans and mixed generations?" Tabuu asked. "And the new planet they created is called Arcadia?" As the window to the outside world vanished, the God of Construction was starting to become worried. He needed to know more about how the last remaining Hands were getting along in this new world. He had no worry of the dragonlings which were sent to another dimension, for he knew they would be safe. All that mattered was that the Arcadian Master Hand and Crazy Hand have at least called a truce. Though I suppose that wouldn't matter since they were also free from Galeem and Dharkon, having no recollection of the seraphic dragons.

Tabuu followed the Shadow Bugs throughout Subspace, stopping when the clusters of the violet creatures stopped in place. Knowing why they stopped, Tabuu created another window to the outside world of Arcadia, finding the two Hands moving around the place. Much to his surprise, Sozo and Hakai in their new forms were getting along well with each other. This was exactly what he hoped: that the Master and Crazy Hands would forget about his brothers and what they did.

However, their knuckles were clearly still fused to their respected chains, meaning that Tabuu somehow had control over them if he could reach out to them. The God of Construction could hear the thoughts of the two Hands, knowing what they were up to.

"We did it, Crazy Hand," the Master Hand spoke. "We have created the perfect paradise. And yet… it's lacking something…"

"Like what?" the Crazy Hand asked. "If you ask me, there's clearly nothing in this world that can go wrong." However, the Master Hand was more skeptical. Something was on his mind, and Tabuu could see it.

"I don't know at the moment, but I can feel it," the Master Hand answered, floating over the trees. "For whatever reason, I can sense an otherworldly evil ready to threaten our universe. Ready to destroy Arcadia. We need to bring forth the bravest warrior this planet has ever seen. Are you with me?"

"With you to the end," the Crazy Hand answered. "Hopefully one day we can uncover who we used to be… if we were even floating, disembodied hands at all…" The Master and Crazy Hands teleported themselves to the Midair Stadium, by which Tabuu had realized was still there all these years. As he watched what the Hands were going to do in the empty arena, the Construct God curious as to whether things from the past had survived or not. He knew of the technology the Shadow Bugs had saved in Subspace… or what was left of them. As far as Tabuu knew, the weapons crumbled underneath the rust and were pretty much useless.

The Hands floated to the center of the stage, rubbing their hands together and generating electricity from their fingertips. The combined energy of light and darkness, order and chaos, sparked between the two. They both slammed into the stage upon full static charge, and a bright figure was illuminated onto the stage.

As the white aura surrounding the mysterious figure calmed down, Tabuu noticed of the mysterious warrior the Master and Crazy Hands had brought into this world. This mysterious warrior was completely naked, his facial features carved with plenty of intimidation that would make any woman fall for him. His messy hair was long and red, and his slit eyes gleamed with rubies. He bore fangs in his jaws, and claws protruded out of his fingers and toes. His pale chest glistened with sweat, having plenty of meat even if there was no six-pack or ripping abs.

He looked around in the new world, frightened and shielding his naked body from the two Hands hovering over him. The Arcadian Master Hand then floated towards the being they created, stroking his forefinger on his soft crown.

"It's alright," the Master Hand calmly spoke, reassuring the new being that there was nothing to be afraid about. Snapping his fingers, the Arcadian Hand of Creation created a blanket entirely out of bear's fur, draping it over the half-dragon's barren back.

"We had been expecting your arrival," the Master Hand continued. "Arise as the first of many warriors within Arcadia, Ryūō-chō."

"First of many…?" Ryūō-chō asked, wobbling as he stood up straight while keeping the blanket around himself. He looked behind the stage and heard the voices and cheers of thousands upon millions of people in the Midair Stadium, almost as if they were summoned out of thin air. Right on the stage were hundreds like Ryūō, all naked and pretty much half-dragon.

"You shall be known as the Dragon Clan, the Defenders of Arcadia," the Master Hand spoke. "And you, Ryūō-chō, shall be known as the Dragon King."

 _Dragon King._

 _Dragon King._

That name alone rung up an awful memory inside Kirby. It was the nightmare he had, back when his group was sailing to the island where the Rathalos resided back at Gallia. The dream the pink puffball had about that terrible place. The cracked pavement with fleshy, wet noises. The armored being that was about to hack the poor alien boy with his katana blades. Images from the nightmare flashed in his head, and he could hear the voice of the Dragon King.

 _You replaced me…_

But he couldn't be the same Dragon King as the one from Kirby's nightmare… could he?

* * *

A time-lapse occurred all of a sudden, and Kirby was left watching Tabuu stare through the mirror he created, watching as the Dragon Clan was left protecting Arcadia from any monsters that seemed to appear from the shadows. When they wanted to fight for the fun of it but there were no monsters in sight, these new warriors would come together in the Midair Stadium and satisfy the entertainment of the thousands of millions of people that crowded the arena, crying out for a battle like the ancient Romans at coliseums. Despite all being the same species as well as wearing the same clothing - spiky but thin, athletic armor made out of dragon scales – they fought in different styles and each had a different weapon that suited their preferred style. Some fought up close and personal while others camped at a safe distance. Regardless, they were all protected and ruled by Ryūō-chō, who was dressed in the same outfit Kirby saw him in his nightmare but was lacking the mask with the three perpetual horns.

Things seemed fine at first. The Dragon Clan was getting along well, some even starting families with other members. Among the hundreds that originally appeared now remained millions, all of them residing within the Midair Stadium. As Tabuu watched, he was starting to become worried about something.

"What if Galeem and Dharkon were to return?" Tabuu asked, the Shadow Bugs clustering near him inside Subspace. "No… Galeem and Dharkon are enough of a threat as they are… What about her? The one I saw in my nightmare? She would corrupt these brave warriors… for they all lack something of importance…"

" _The stars can tell us tales that had happened since the dawn of time,"_ Lord Ceresor's voice spoke through the God of Construction. Tabuu can recall what the Lord of Arcus told him, and how it would affect the future.

" _The lifespan of any intelligent species is only a mere blink for these celestial beings, so they can memorize everything that has ever happened to us. There is also a tale that the stars can survive the corruption of pure insanity, and the Smash Balls can protect those who wield them."_ That was what Tabuu knew from his recollected knowledge.

The Master Hand coincidentally felt it too. The strange feeling that the members of the Dragon Clan were lacking something, even when Tabuu was unable to reach the outside world.

"Do you feel it?" the Master Hand asked the Crazy Hand.

"Of course I do," the Crazy Hand responded. "We're one and the same after all."

"It's about the Dragon Clan," the Master Hand answered. "I can sense that they are strong of mind and will, but their hearts will become easy to corrupt. If some otherworldly force was to invade at some point, they would not be prepared for what happens next. It's almost as if they are lacking…"

"An enchantment?" the Crazy Hand replied.

"Precisely," the Master Hand spoke. "However, implanting these enchantments would not be an easy task, considering the energy we wasted to bring the Dragon Clan to life. Their souls are not strong enough to hold in the protection, and they might as well be exterminated before they become mad with power and hatred."

"You're saying… kill the entire Dragon Clan just because they don't have some magic voodoo thing to protect them from an unknown force?" the Crazy Hand asked.

"It's for the best," the Master Hand finished. "We need to find the souls that already have these enchantments to begin with, and no one is going to intervene, not even Ryūō-chō. We need to bring in warriors that are chosen by these enchantments. They will be brought into this world, whether they work for good or evil…" Once the two Hands vanished in front of the Midair Stadium, Tabuu suddenly noticed a tiny pink dot within the forest floor. The God of Construction inspected the peculiar object, focusing his vision. From what he saw… it was the pink sludge he had seen before, which Kirby saw before in previous visions as well as in the labyrinth of the Gerudo Valley. What he and Ragnarokk saw when they were Ultima. The pink slime curled itself into the black mist's crystalline arms, who unveiled his disguise and revealed himself as Mephiles.

"Come, my Insaniton," Mephiles spoke. "There is business we have to attend to." As the crystalline hedgehog crumbled into the black mist and flew towards the Midair Stadium, there was something odd that struck Kirby.

Was that… the same Mephiles he and his pals encountered in the Gerudo Town? And was that the slime that created the horrifying Steve person? And did he call said slime an Insaniton? The same kind that flowed from Eternia's tear ducts during her fight with the Almighty Father? Something was not right, and he knew things would be terrible once Mephiles entered the floating arena…

* * *

Ryūō-chō had just came out from the stage into the locker room of the arena, wiping his forehead of the sweat that glistened on his face. He had just finished a tough battle involving a close-attack, chubby heavyweight, obviously a member of the Dragon Clan. His red, messy hair was rather oily from the battle, but that was expected after a tough fight.

Once Ryūō got to the locker room, he undressed himself and twisted the knob in one of the showers. The warm water ran across his pale body, cleansing the grime and sweat from his pores. There were dispensers that gave the shower users various soaps to rinse their hair and bodies, and the Dragon King cupped his hands underneath the dispenser that gave out shampoo mixed with conditioner. As soon as his hands were filled, Ryūō lathered the mixture into his hair, letting it sit for a while as he cleaned his body with the specified soap. He then let the water run through his hair as his fingers combed through, the leftover soap running down the drain.

Ryūō suddenly heard ominous laughter coming right from behind him, and he turned around to face the direction of the sound from the dark room. Just when he thought it was his imagination, he continued rinsing his hair only to hear the laughter again.

"Okay," Ryūō spoke, looking around the shower room as he kept his vision clear from the water running on his face. "You better not be any fangirls stalking me! I could at least use some privacy!"

"Why would you think I am an over-obsessive woman, especially with the voice you are hearing now?" the crystalline hedgehog's voice responded. Before Ryūō could ask any more questions, a black sludge slithered to the Dragon King's feet, building up and forming into the crystalline hedgehog. Deep within the vision's interpretation of Subspace, Kirby watched through Tabuu's window what was going on.

"My name is Mephiles," the crystalline hedgehog answered. " Be calm, Dragon King. I am not here to harm you. Just here to deliver some terrible news."

"News…?" Ryūō asked, covering his crotch with his hands and lathered soap.

"News involving the Master Hand and Crazy Hand," Mephiles continued. "You and your kind are getting replaced."

"Replaced?" the Dragon King responded, filled with complete confusion and disbelief. "No… no. The Hands would not do such a thing. I am their bravest warrior."

"I had been watching them since the dawn of time, and I know of their schemes to wipe you out of existence… just like that," Mephiles continued, snapping his fingers once he paused to give Ryūō-chō the idea.

"You are being lied to, Ryūō-chō. They said the Dragon Clan lacks any sort of protection from a special kind of corruption, and they are willing to shelve you away like toys for their true prizes. But I'm here to help you."

"What kind of help do you want from me?"

"They seek the warriors that have mythical stones known as Smash Balls for souls, powered by the Core of the First Star. They believe those that have been chosen with these stones, whether good or evil, can avoid the magic of the Mother."

"The Mother…?"

"The Mother is a being not from this universe, or any other universe. She can grant the wishes of anyone who joins her alliance, but the Hands are too afraid of her. They believe that she's too dangerous, and they are planning to summon the warriors of the Smash Balls and wipe out the Dragon Clan. They don't understand the truth."

"Look, Mephiles… I don't know if I can do this. I mean... I don't know anything about you. How am I supposed to know what my goal is?"

"You will…" Mephiles finished, allowing himself to be engulfed by his Insaniton pet. The crystalline hedgehog was swallowed by a mess of pus and pink flesh, grotesque limbs covered in sharp pointers squirming out of its slimy skin. Ryūō-chō panicked and slipped on the wet floor, curling into himself as multiple eyeballs surrounded him, engulfing him completely.

"Soon you will know the truth about the multiverse we live in…" Mephiles' voice echoed inside the Dragon King's head. The red-haired half-dragon looked around the shower room, relaxing his body when he noticed there were no scratches or bruises on his body. However, his heart suddenly changed, along with his mood. Ryūō got up from the shower floor, turning the knob and shutting the water off. As soon as he finished drying himself, he slipped on his armor.

For the first time in the last few years he had been brought into existence, the Dragon King felt betrayed. He took the lies Mephiles told him seriously and believed them. His katana blades rang against his armor plates as he slipped them off his back, dual-wielding them. There was a small band of Dragon Clan soldiers, all of them no older than eighteen. One of the half-dragons was female, wore green armor and a saber axe, and had black hair. Her two friends were male with blondish-gray hair, one small with blue armor and the other large with violet armor. They all noticed Ryūō-chō storming out of the locker room into the hallway, unaware of what he was told.

"Oh! Dragon King!" the female Dragon Clan troop spoke, genuflecting before her master. "We were just about to wash up! That last battle we had with Ryugi was quite intense…"

"Get out of my way, peasant," the Dragon King softly snarled. The black-haired troop's eyes widened when she heard her majesty address her like that.

"First of all, my name is Katanaki," the black-haired warrior spoke. "Second of all, why the mood swing? You seemed so relaxed before…"

"I need to have a word with the Hands of Creation and Destruction," Ryūō-chō responded. "They took… everything from us. Our lives are a lie. They only want to cast us aside and replace us like we're nothing but dolls!" As soon as the Dragon King said that, the three young adults were rather confused.

"What are you talking about?" Katanaki asked. "Your Highness, you're probably not thinking straight. How about we talk this over some chess? Or a cup of tea?"

"If you wish for me to spare your life, then you better tell me the whereabouts of the Hands," Ryūō snapped, holding up his katana blades. "If you don't want to interfere, then get out of my way."

"So you can kill our creators!?" Katanaki objected. "Last chance. Ryūō-chō! You drop your weapons and come along with us unarmed. Perhaps an extended stay in detention might do you some justice."

"Your choice," the Dragon King spoke to himself, his eyes at a smaller angle and a little smile stretching across his face. Swiping his katana blades across the green-armored troop's neck, the gushing of blood and Katanaki's screams could be heard throughout the Midair Stadium. Her two friends looked in utter trauma as they saw their only leader, the one they looked up to all these years, murder her in cold blood.

"You… masochistic prick!" the one clad in blue armor snapped, swinging out a laser nail-coated baseball bat made entirely out of platinum. "You'll die just like how our friend went out, bitch!" The purple-armored troop pulled out a partisan, and the two of them pointed their weapons at their leader. However, as the two charged at him and swung their weapons, the Dragon King simply teleported right behind them, continuing down the hall as their powerful swings missed and hit each other, killing them both by their own hands.

The amount of bloodshed was no different for many of the Dragon Clan troops that witnessed the murders, charging towards their king only to be met with their own cold gore. It wasn't long before Ryūō-chō lifted up his hand, casting powers that burned the hallways behind him as though he was a pyromaniac. He began slaughtering every Dragon Clan troop that stood in his way as he was about to leave the Midair Stadium, heading towards one of the starships that sat in the large garages. People and children were crying as they were trapped in the burning arena, and Ryūō just left them to suffer as he made his way to the last remaining Dragon Clan troop: a pink-armored girl at the age of ten, sporting a cape flowing like lava and blue hair tipped with white that draped over her shoulders and evaporated the tears dripping down her face.

"Ah, Napalmata," the Dragon King spoke with a chilling voice, pointing his katana blades at her neck. "You are rather persistent as a navigator. Tell me where the Hands of Creation and Destruction are and I may as well spare you."

"W… What makes you think you'll spare me if you're just going to leave me here to die in the fire?" Napalmata asked, her voice shaking.

"I know you can control how wild forest fires burn at such an impressively young age," the Dragon King responded. "Last chance. Unless you want the Dragon Clan to go extinct, you give me the location of the Master Hand and Crazy Hand. I will teach them a lesson about replacing us."

"They're… They're at the Isle of the Dragons, where they believe they can find the legendary warriors to replace our kind," the girl answered, her Adam's apple bobbing as it lightly brushed against the soft katana blades. The Dragon King then lowered his weapons away from Napalmata's neck, letting her relax and catch a breather.

"Thank you, child," Ryūō-chō chuckled, walking over to one of the starships in the burning hovercar garage. As soon as the starship the psychotic half-dragon had chosen flew off, Napalmata raised her arms, crying in pain as lights emerged from her gloveless hands. Once the lights flashed and spread across the Midair Stadium, the flames all vanished, and the crowd trapped in the arena looked around the place calmly. Napalmata slowly got up, kneeling and crying over the loss of her parents. They died as they attempted on stopping the Dragon King, sacrificing themselves for the child they raised together.

"No," Napalmata told herself, flames dancing around her eyes as she wiped the tears from her face. "I won't let him do this. Not now nor ever!" As soon as the window to the outside world closed, Tabuu backed away, afraid of what the Dragon King was going to do. At this state, the God of Construction was powerless against what Mephiles could do.

"The Hands aren't even at the Isle of the Dragons," Tabuu spoke to himself. He opened another window to Arcadia, watching as the Master Hand and Crazy Hand were searching throughout the landscape. Looking far off into the distance, Tabuu had noticed that the Isle of the Dragons was far out at sea, miles away from where they were.

"I have to do something… and fast!" Tabuu spoke, trying to push himself through the window. However, no matter how hard he tried, the Chains of Light and Darkness held him back in Subspace. The Construct God struggled as he tugged hard at the chains wrapped around his arms and legs. Suddenly, he looked back upon the Shadow Bugs sealed in the realm with him. He realized they are the only one that can travel through the window and interact with Arcadia's landscape.

"Retrieve Sozo and Hakai," Tabuu commanded, pointing at the Hands. "I saved them from Galeem's and Dharkon's prisons. Now it's time they returned the favor." Kirby watched as the Shadow Bugs soared through the window, surrounding the Hands and surprising them.

"What the-!?" the Crazy Hand asked. "Stay away, you pesky insects!" The Hands started firing lasers from their fingertips, but the Shadow Bugs simply curved around the lasers, latching onto their silky shells. As the Hands struggled, the Shadow Bugs dragged them through the window into Subspace, releasing them just so Tabuu can grab the chains that bound the Hands. The Master Hand was shackled in the Chains of Light while the Crazy Hand was confined by the Chains of Darkness.

"Sozo… Hakai… My name is Tabuu, the God of Construction," the cyan being introduced, tugging on the chains that he was also found with. "You may not remember, but we were once dragons. You knew me as Ultima before I was split. I will explain the rest of the details later. For now, you must stop the warrior you created from destroying the future fighters."

"What makes you think we will… submit to the likes of you?" the Master Hand asked. Just to prove he was serious, Tabuu sent out electrical currents through his chains, zapping the Hands. Once he stopped, Tabuu spoke again.

"I don't want to repeat myself, but the one you brought into Arcadia, the Dragon King, is wrecking havoc upon the planet," Tabuu continued. "He spared only one of his kind, who is right now heading to the Isle of the Dragons in hopes of warning you. This is the work of the corruption you feared, and it already has Ryūō-chō. Do as I say, and we will protect not only this planet but all others… unless you want me to crumble you into dust for disobeying me…" The Hands relaxed their fingers, willing to do what the Construct God has commanded them to do.

"Excellent," Tabuu chuckled, opening a window to the Isle of the Dragons. Two of the starships arrived on different points of the island, obviously belonging to Ryūō and Napalmata. He kept hold of the chains as the Arcadian Hands floated through the window, latched onto the Construct God.

* * *

On the island, the Dragon King walked through the thick forest, surprise that the leaves were opaque enough to block any sunlight. As he continued further, Ryūō found what he was looking for: the statues of the bravest warriors gathered around in a cluster, all of them covered in moss and vines. Kirby took advantage of the memorials present, including his own. In the center was an ancient tree blooming with cherry blossoms, its branches curved in like it was supposed to hold something.

"Looks like the Master and Crazy Hands didn't show up in time… oh well…" the Dragon King spoke, pulling out his katana blades. Ryūō began hacking down the statues, hitting them until they all crumbled into dust. One by one, the Dragon King cut through all the memorials of the warriors, turning them all into rubble while he burned down the tree of the Core of the First Star. The only statues that remained before the Hands intervened with a powerful explosion were that of the Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., Wii Fit Trainer, Duck Hunt, Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner.

"So the Hands have decided to arrive before I finish destroying the toys that you two were going to use to replace me and the entirety of the Dragon Clan!"

"Your actions have went too far to make us change our minds," the Master Hand spoke. "We tried to be reasonable, but it seems like you took the message in the wrong way."

"I know well enough that you were just using me! Mephiles told me so!"

"…Mephiles?" the Crazy Hand asked.

"He is an ancient being that I can relate to. One far more honest than you too! And he tells me to watch you burn!" As the Dragon King jumped up high and raised his weapons, Tabuu within Subspace whipped the Chains of Light, forcing the Master Hand to snap his fingers and freeze Ryūō in place.

"Banish him to a forsaken land," Tabuu ordered, whipping both his chains this time. "Make sure he never returns here…" The fingers of the two Hands overlapped each over as they ripped a hole straight to an unknown dimension – one that they can never know the name of. As soon as the Dragon King was sucked into the hole, he tried reaching out for the Hands, ready to kill them before he vanished along with the vortex.

Napalmata arrived in time, running across the rotting logs and skinning her knees in the bushes. She made it over to the sacred area of the island, only to find the Hands were already there. She looked in horror of the desolated statues, running over to the rubble and gathering up the Smash Balls found within the statues. Much to her relief, they were not shattered at all.

"Oh my," Napalmata spoke as she turned towards the Hands, unaware that they were controlled by Tabuu. "I couldn't stop them. I had no idea…" The Master Hand and his fraternal noticed she was the only one of her kind who had survived. He drew a line across the forest floor, creating a portal to another world.

"Jump in," the Master Hand spoke. "Train hard until the day of reckoning comes. We'll take over from now on."

"But... weren't you gonna kill us because we didn't have some sort of protection?" Napalmata asked. That was a rather good question. The Hands originally planned to exterminate the Dragon Clan, considering how they were "impure". So... why wouldn't they kill her?

"The time will come in the future where you will find out the truth about everything," the Master Hand spoke. "You are strong and powerful, like the raging flames in your heart. Use them well on your journey, wherever they may lead you."

Without another word, Napalmata jumped into the portal. Once she seemed to be in another world, the Smash Balls within the surviving statues flashed bright. The untouched memorials began to glow, the sounds of flesh and bone forming underneath their stone shells and crumbling into due once the bodies underneath them moved.

The Mii Fighters were the first to awaken from their dormant slumber, looking around the strange world they woke up in. They appeared exactly how they did when Ultima defeated Galleom at Ginnungagap, but with one major difference. As they opened their mouths, they could no longer speak. Their memories of the past were retained, unsurprisingly. Following after them were Mr. Game & Watch, Duck Hunt, R.O.B., Wii Fit Trainer, and Ice Climbers. As the new fighters moved around, the Smash Balls within the rubble floated from the ground and ascended into the sky, flying far away from the planet.

Tabuu watched as the Smash Balls vanished in the atmosphere, keeping mind of that as he left behind mental notes of those jewels floating off. He knew one day he was going to summon special warriors into this world… and that time is now.

"Welcome to Arcadia, citizens," the Master Hand spoke, both he and the Crazy Hand looming over the fighters that were just reborn into the planet. "Here, dreams become reality, and you can do whatever you want inside our context…" The Construct God relaxed his wrists as he held on to the chains, looking back upon the Shadow Bugs that have formed into Primids and other creatures within Subspace. As soon as all that was over, the Smash Ball on Kirby's forehead flashed red, bringing his mind back to reality.

* * *

The pink puffball woke up on the deck, coughing out the Diamond of Universes. He quickly picked up the gemstone, curious as to why it was brighter and more vibrant in color.

"Kirby!" Ragnarokk's voice called out. The brown-skinned warrior ran up to Kirby, worried about his safety.

"You really shouldn't be here," Ragnarokk continued. "What if some creature of darkness snatched you?" Kirby simply stared back at her, offering the brown-skinned, black-haired, military woman the Diamond of Universes.

"Did you… get more memories for me?" Ragnarokk asked, feeling the pink puffball place the jewel in her cupped hands. "It looks like it's nearly complete…" The amnesiac warrior placed the jewel back in her necklace, her eyes flashing as more memories from her past were restored to her. As she opened her violet eyes, she took the Diamond of Universes out of the necklace and gave it back to Kirby.

"You need to save it for your third group up north," Ragnarokk responded. "Wish them luck." Kirby nodded, clasping the jewel in his stubby hands.

* * *

Inside the Legacy, Sonic the Hedgehog admired how fast and spacious the place was, even larger than the Isle of the Ancients. He had been starting to control his powers for now, and he could levitate himself off the ground for a few seconds. The blue hedgehog split himself from Fox McCloud at some point within the ship, and he wandered through the futuristic hallways. With enough coincidence, Sonic managed to overhear Banjo's voice coming from one of the doors. It seemed he and Kazooie were chatting with Piranha Plant, Joker, Ireburn, and Terry about something, but what? Sonic pressed his pointed ear a bit closer to the door, perking up as he eavesdropped the conversation.

"…And do you remember when I told you about the Lord of Games, a guy who basically controls my land like a simulation?" Banjo asked. "He told me to seek out a certain blue hedgehog before we escaped Galeem's attack, which he claims is the one responsible for all this. I never thought we would blabber it out from our own mouths… but I think we found him. Sonic the Hedgehog." With an expression of utter surprise, Sonic walked away from the room, both confused and keeping his lips shut about the conversation.

No one needed to know how or why he was important, and he cannot remember how come either.


	78. Pt 78: The Cosmic Jester

Far up north, journeying through some sort of cybernetic pathway dotted with binary codes and electrical currents was Group C, with Samus, Bowser, Pichu, Lucas, King Dedede, Lucario, Isabelle, Piranha Plant, and Mii Gunner as the teammates. The path they were walking on split up into fiber roots, which were coated in glowing diamonds and fuse wires.

"Oh geez," Sherry sighed, rubbing her temple. "I had no idea things would get this intense…"

"Don't count your lucky stars just yet, chieftess," Samus responded. "Hopefully things will get better once we're through with Galeem and Dharkon…" As they continued down the path, King Dedede noticed something in the confusing walkway.

"Do y'all see this?" King Dedede asked in his stereotypical Southern accent, pointing at what caught the glimpse of his eye. The fighters looked in the direction the King of Dreamland was focusing on, spotting a portal surrounded by crystals. This could probably be the location of the sub-area they were traveling to.

"Nice eye, Dedede," Lucario responded. "You have the potential of a navigator." The fighters walked across the glass path, keeping their eyes on the portal. Little did they know of what was to happen next before any one of the fighters could jump through the portal. Samus' visor started beeping, alerting her of an incoming threat.

"Everybody, back away from the portal!" Samus warned, pushing her pals back. A Crazy Hand that was not the one from Arcadia slammed its palm down onto the futuristic ground, missing as soon as the armored bounty hunter jumped back.

"Look-y who we have here," the Crazy Hand spoke in a voice different from Hakai's, its fingers twitching uncontrollably. "Figured I would bump into you here. Oh, Dharkon and Hakai would be so pleased of the boss I'm gonna bring out! Porky! Sans! Take them out!" The Crazy Hand snapped its fingers, vanishing upon sight. A Launch Star spawned above the portal, sending out yet another captured fighter. It was the Rosalina & Luma Primary, with both the blue-dressed maiden and her yellow star child glaring at the team with violet eyes. Landing right behind her with a thud so hard it cracked the ground was the Pig King Statue, looking exactly how it appeared twenty years prior. The statue bursted open with rubble flying everywhere, with the long legs of Porky's bot crawling out with the horrid stench of a nauseating gas accompanying the Pigmask Commander surrounding the machine.

"So… I get the Porky thing, but where's this Sans guy?" Sherry asked, taking a close look at the Rosalina & Luma Primary.

"Isn't it obvious?" a voice from the Rosalina being of the captured fighter duo asked. An image flashed on her chest, showcasing a skeleton with a funny smile, a blue hoodie over a white shirt, and red slippers.

"You're Sans, aren't you?" Isabelle asked in a curious tone.

"Why wouldn't I be?" the Rosalina & Luma Primary asked. "The ruler of the sub-area is a special one indeed. I guess you can say he has a BONE to pick with you guys." The classic comical rimshot played out of nowhere in the futuristic landscape, with the teammates of Group C looking around in confusion as the captured fighter smiled awkwardly.

"Not… cool," Porky Minch spoke from inside his robot. "You always gotta plan ahead with your jokes."

"Get it…?" the Rosalina & Luma Primary asked, sweat dripping down her face. "It's because… I'm a skeleton, and we're made out of bones, so… Ah, screw it. Sic em, Porky!" The captured fighter grabbed ahold of the Luma of the duo, jumping on top of the machine and letting Porky do the rest of the work. The Smashers readied their weapons and attacked once more.

Samus grabbed ahold of Pichu, jumping on top of the Porky Bed-Mecha as it dashed towards the fighters. The captured fighter on top launched her possessed Luma at the two fighters, attacking as usual. While Pichu was busy with the Luma, the armored bounty hunter started spamming charged shots and missiles. However, the blue maiden of the Rosalina & Luma Primary simply started dodging and parrying, avoiding all her attacks.

"This isn't my job to join the fight," the captured fighter spoke up in that laid-back tone from Sans. "However, I can't say I won't participate." The possessed Luma flew back to the corrupted blue maiden, hitting Pichu into Porky's jabbing legs. It blasted a powerful laser at Samus like a Gaster Blaster, knocking her off the Bed-Mecha. Lucario got right in front of her, throwing an Aura Sphere at the glass vial containing Porky. The Pigmask Commander then started releasing Porky Bots that ran towards the team while he released a red orb that shot electricity around his mechanical robot.

As the Rosalina & Luma Primary attacked alongside Porky Minch with Gaster Blasters and bone pillars, the Piranha Plant jumped out of the way while the rest of Group C were weighed down by Porky. He saw all his teammates pinned down by the Bed-Mecha, with the Rosalina & Luma Primary charging up a powerful laser. A Porky Not was approaching behind the Piranha Plant, just ready to self-destruct. The carnivorous flower grabbed ahold of the bot with his mouth and dashed towards Porky Minch, avoiding the electrical attacks.

"I told you I will fight, even if it isn't my job," the captured fighter spoke, trying to hit the fast Piranha Plant with fast pillars sticking out of the ground while the other fighters squirmed below the Bed-Mecha's clutches. The Piranha Plant avoided all that and landed right behind the captured fighter. Despite being able to dodge so many attacks, the possessed blue maiden and her star child could not avoid the carnivorous flower's forward smash, which involved the plant turning into a black, spiky variant of itself. The captured fighter duo was knocked off, but they quickly grabbed onto the legs of the machine. As an electrical ball was forming from Porky's legs stretched above him, the Piranha Plant smashed through the glass vial with his flower pot, shoving the Porky Bot into the same part where the Pigmask Commander was controlling. As soon as the Rosalina & Luma Primary climbed on top of the Bed-Mecha, the possessed blue maiden saw the Piranha Plant with his rescued teammates run farther from the bot, which had Porky Minch stuffed with a Porky Bot about to self-destruct within that glass vial.

"Well, it was worth a shot," the captured fighter chuckled, sweat dripping down her face as Sans within her knew what was about to happen next. Porky Minch's robot exploded from that encounter, killing both the Pigmask Commander and the Rosalina & Luma Primary. The fighters stood from a safe distance as they saw the remaining pieces of the Bed-Mecha go up in flames.

"People these days," Bowser scoffed, his thick, scaly arms folded across his chest as he watched the Sans Spirit and the shattered Dharkon Lock float away in the black sky down south. "You finally relax after so much bloodshed and company shows up."

"I think I can use a hand," Isabelle spoke, the assistant mayor Shih Tzu dog running towards the cooling rubble. Isabelle began digging through the mechanical legs and wires, with Lucas and Samus helping her. Soon, the team saw a dirty hand crawl out from the rubble, followed with coughing from both Rosalina & her Luma, who were lacking the red aura and had their eyes reverted back to their normal colors. The blue maiden was holding her star child tightly, shielding it from the impactful blast. The way the Luma's eyes shown with such sadness, such trauma, was enough to convince Isabelle to pick up the star child and hug it with so much care. Samus and Lucas helped Rosalina climb out of the rubble as the other teammates got back together.

"Oh my…" Rosalina sighed as her Luma squirmed out of Isabelle's arms and flew into it's mother's arms. "How long was I out?"

"Ten years, give or take," King Dedede answered, picking up his hammer. "You wouldn't happen to know any secrets beyond that portal, do ya gal?"

"Now that I think about it, I do," Rosalina answered, levitating towards the portal. "The ruler of this dimension is one of the gatekeepers to the Dharkon Void, no surprise. However, he seems to be far more twisted and dangerous than what Dharkon considers 'normal' in HIS multiverse, some even saying he's far too powerful that even the Seraph of Chaos locked him here. This ancient demon clearly hates visitors, and would do whatever he can to get rid of us…"

"Cut the chit-chat and let's get going already," Samus responded, already walking through the blue portal. Rosalina and her Luma followed the armored bounty Hunter in, with Piranha Plant, Lucas, Bowser, King Dedede, Pichu, Lucario, and the ex-Gunner Ultimate Reborn walking in. What the fighters saw as they arrived in the sub-area surprised them greatly.

* * *

Streaks of light graced across the torn-up sky, revealing a void of obsidian black behind those clear, cloudy blues. Roots and paths of light were the only things connecting pieces of land to each other, conjoining them into a web of trails. Places from different worlds, whether fictional or reminiscent of our own planet, were torn apart by the gravity spiraling from the glowing vortex swirling everything around. The atmosphere was neither light nor heavy, just simply an enigma.

As the fighters walked past the portal down a rocky path laden with crystals, their guards pricked up once they heard laughter echo throughout the sub-area. The laughter was filled with the content of despair and chaos, sounding like a terrifying madman. As the Smashers looked around the place, King Dedede started to get déjà vu from the maniacal hysteria. For whatever reason, the King of Dreamland started getting… terrible memories. They were just flashes in his mind, but what he remembered was of a mechanical comet stylized like a stopwatch, surrounded by seven glowing stars, and the laughter… the laughter… Even if Kirby was with the group, there was a high chance he would know about the one behind this dimension.

"I know that gosh-dang laugh anywhere," King Dedede growled, raising his hammer. "Show yourself, ya evil demon!" The other fighters heard the King of Dreamland snap at nothing, curious as to what was going on. Making the fighters drop their guards was a large bubble floating right towards the group. Its oily texture was littered with neon rainbows, making it look sickly to the naked eye. It rippled as soon as the being in charge revealed his face to the group.

The boss of the sub-area was nothing more than a light pink demon with large, violet eyes filled with stars. His little smile had small fangs, and the jester's hat he was wearing was blue with white circles on his right side and red with white triangles on his left side. The demon had no visible arms, but he had a red bowtie and large brown shoes. He grinned with a vicious smile as the bubble suddenly bursted, and a bright aura accompanied by the demon's laughter shone above the Smashers. As the light faded and the mysterious being laughed again, golden wings stretched out like a pterodactyl, each decorated with flashing hexagon scales and a heart-shaped jewel. Claws appeared in the middle of his wings, supposedly serving as arms. Once the light vanished and the laughter stopped, the strange being in person floated down to his prey, shaking his head.

"Well, well, well, well, well-well-well-well-well-well-well," the demon chuckled, not moving his wings as he levitated around the group. "Don't you know it's rude to break into someone's house without knocking? Name's Marx, and I figured we'd meet again, Triple-D." Marx rested one of his wings on King Dedede's shoulder, clearly being nothing more than a nuisance.

"Alright, punk," Bowser snapped. "We know you're working for Dharkon, so come and give us a fight!" As the Koopa King lunged straight for Marx, the winged jester simply teleported behind Bowser, making him fall flat on his face.

"Y'know, I have to admit," Marx spoke in a cheerful tone. "You sure do look funny when you trip. But I'm not here to fight right now. I've come to deliver you a message."

"Message…?" Lucas asked.

"That this is gonna be different than all the other times you've encountered a boss," Marx answered, floating above the fighters. "I just wanna play with you before you guys get to attack me. If you all manage to defeat me at the center of that vortex, I'll give you a chance to fight against Dharkon."

"So does this mean you work for Dharkon or Galeem?" Lucario asked.

"I work for neither," Marx answered, shrugging his arm-wings. "Even if Dharkon technically has control over me, I work for my own limits, which could explain why he locked me here. So would you participate in my game… ò̡̧͞͠r̵͘͟ ̧͞d̶̶̢̧i̷̕ę̷̵̛͞!̶̶̶̀͜?̷͟͠" By the time the jester from Kirby's universe said those last two words, his smile stretched across his face and revealed a row of sharp, long teeth, his eyes spread slightly apart from each other with his irises shrinking and becoming more narrow vertically until they were slit, and his voice turned into something more hellish and demonic.

"Guess we don't have a choice," Rosalina sighed, comforting a terrified Luma, Isabelle, and Lucas. "What kind of game do you want us to play?"

"Just a game that asks how much do you know of the different worlds you came from," Marx answered, his voice returning to his normal tone and once again sporting his adorable wide eyes and small smile. "Since you're gonna be here for a while, figures I would get to know you guys a little better. There are many Supporters you'll go up against, and if you're lucky a Primary. All you have to do is answer my questions correctly until we get to the place where I feel like fighting you guys, specifically the glowing vortex in the center of the realm. Try not to die, and good luck!" Just like that, Marx vanished from the group. The Piranha Plant and Pichu both walked up to Samus, who was looking at the world they just set foot in. Only a few minutes in the sub-area and that boss was already giving her the creeps.

"We can do this, buddies," Samus spoke to the carnivorous flower and tiny Pokémon. However, before the group was allowed to go any further, Marx teleported right behind them, still with his golden pterodactyl wings with flashing hexagon scales.

"Oh, yeah," Marx spoke. "One more thing… try not to cheat or lose any of the questions once. Here in the Mysterious Dimension, where I basically control everything, you guys have consequences for failure, and I have eyes everywhere." As soon as the cosmic jester said that, eyeballs of blue, hazel, and amber opened up below the ground, frightening the Smashers and forcing them not to step on any of the blinking eyes. The eyes that formed on the sky and the crumbling ground looked at the group, giving them a grim reminder of the realm they were trapped in.

"See ya suckers later," Marx finished, bowing his head as he floated upward in midair. "I'll stick around and ask you guys the questions. Shouldn't take long until you get to your first trivia…" As soon as the eyes all vanished, Marx himself teleported away. The group looked back on the new world set in front of them, keeping their eyes on the glowing vortex.

"We have to do this," Samus sighed, holding onto her arm cannon.

"We're with you till the end," the Mii Gunner responded, holding a face of determination.


	79. Pt 79: First Quizzes

The fighters made their way down the rocky path, and it wasn't long before they came across a three-way route, all of them leading to a crumbling concrete road several feet away. It was too far away for the Smashers to make the jump, and they knew about that.

"We better be careful, guys," Samus spoke, going ahead of the group before she stopped. "King Dedede, you said you know this Marx demon before. What can you recall about him?"

"There ain't anythin' horrible he can't do," King Dedede answered. "Back in Dreamland, everyone called him the town clown, and I hired him to be my court jester when I heard of him. However, the Galactic Nova arrived thanks to that Kirby, and Marx became the demon you see him as of right now. Even I tried to stop his plans of world domination."

"Galactic… Nova?" Rosalina asked. "I'm quite sure I heard of that before…"

"Anyone who's traveled to different universes pretty much knows about the comet," King Dedede continued. "This Marx is a clever one indeed. That little runt has a snappy sense of humor, but you better not underestimate his jokes. He quickly loses his temper due to impatience of certain things as well as failures of plans going on in his head we might as well never know the secrets of. If we continue down that path, there could be a chance where that little hellion might as well lead us into a pit with sharks, blending blades, lasers, or whatever horrible, gruesome death you can imagine." Just as the King of Dreamland finished, Marx himself appeared right before the group, laughing with a witty sense of humor.

"What's going on, Triple-D?" Marx asked while he rested his chin on his folded wings. "You lecturing the flesh sacks you call friends about my history with you? Puh-lease. The only thing you should worry lecturing about is your first quiz!" The galactic ambition snapped his claws like they were fingers, and different teams appeared on each end of the broken three-way fork in the rocky path, each one made out of different tiny Supporters with violet eyes. The team on the group's left side had purple Donkey Kongs, the middle had Pichus with white flowers, and the path on their right side had Jigglypuffs with red flowers.

"First question is rather simple: which of these Pikmin can fly?" Marx asked. "Answer correctly and you advance down the path. Answer incorrectly… well..." The spherical demon chuckled as he thought of an idea for their punishment. "Thank Triple-D for the idea of a pit of sharks with laser eyes and blending blade fins, because you'll fall into it if you fail…" The ground remained transparent for a while to let the group see that swimming in a pool of acid were great-white sharks that cut into each other's skin with their sharp fins and lasers shot out of their eyes.

"Try to think of which Supporter team holds the right choice," Marx finished. "The ground will collapse underneath you and make you fall into that pit unless you pick a question." The galactic jester vanished from sight, and the Smashers looked at each other.

"Pikmin?" Isabelle asked. Just as soon as Isabelle said that, different images of the Supporter teams flashed above them. For the Donkey Kongs, it was a Purple Pikmin, the Pichus had a Yellow Pikmin, and the Jigglypuffs had a Flying Pikmin. The tiny Jigglypuff team was exactly what Samus went after.

"Well that was easy," Samus answered, approaching the tiny Jigglypuff team. "Even if we haven't visited the planet Olimar crashed on, we can obviously tell this is the correct choice simply by the bug-like wings." The ground started rumbling underneath the armored bounty hunter as the tiny Jigglypuff team surrounded her, with Marx appearing in front of the group once more.

"She chose her answer," Marx spoke, getting in front of the group and preventing them from getting to Samus. The piece of land that broke off from the path wasn't even a few feet off the ground before Samus swatted down Jigglypuff Supporter after Jigglypuff Supporter.

"Now let's see if it's the correct- Well, that was short," Marx sighed with mild annoyance, noticing that Samus had knocked out the entire Jigglypuff team within the span of a few seconds before a UV sphere formed around the land piece. The other two Supporter teams vanished into Shadow Bugs from the rocky path, leaving Samus to fall down back to her group alongside the piece of land.

"They were nothing more than pesky bugs," Samus reassured her friends, brushing off her arm cannon. "Kinda easy, if you ask me." The Cosmic Jester floated down to the Smashers, honestly surprised. Even for a Mii Fighter that entered his realm as stated before, none of them knocked out an entire team of tiny puppets that fast.

"Y'know, I'm impressed with you guys," Marx spoke, folding his wings across his nonexistent chest. "You're awfully persistent for a bunch of meat toys. You're free to move on to the next quiz. But the next one'll be a bit more difficult than those pathetic teams…" Marx snapped his talons like fingers, vanishing as soon as he created a path of light from the group's right side to the crumbling concrete road.

The Piranha Plant slid down the light path, safely making it to the other side. The carnivorous flower waved his two leaves like hands, alerting his pals that he was alright. Rosalina held on tight to her Luma as she went down the light path, with Bowser and King Dedede following. Once all the fighters made it onto the concrete road, they continued down that route. The different land piece they stepped on was of a grassy hill, with large roots wrapped around nameless tombstones in front of them. Looking to their right from the main path to their left, the Smashers could see the roots were connected to a humongous tree, its branches unstable to climb to the big junkyard sitting on top. Lucario's eyes widened as he saw a red aura and violet eyes at that junkyard, obviously a Primary watching them from above.

"It's one of our friends!" Lucario exclaimed, running towards the large tree. Bowser and King Dedede followed behind the Aura Pokémon, with the rest of their friends staying behind. Marx, however, appeared in front of the group, stopping Lucario by pressing his talons against the tip of the Pokémon's face.

"Not so fast," Marx objected. "You want to rescue one of your many friends here, you better solve all the questions I ask you in certain locations before you advance." Two Supporters arrived behind Marx this time: one was a puppet of Fox McCloud with lime clothing with the Spirit of a fox with a blue apron wrapped around his waist, and the other was a Mario clone with his Builder outfit and the Spirit of a mustached man wearing a white apron and brown clothing.

"Question two: which Spirit usually sells furniture?" Marx asked, floating behind the Supporters. "Is it Redd inside a Fox puppet or the Maruhige Shop Owner within the Mario one? Your choice… oŗ̵̵̕ ͏̸͘y͘͘͝o͏̀́͜u̴̢̧͡͠ŕ̴̛͡ ̢̛̛͢d͘ę͠á̵̡͜t̡͘h̡̀́͝!͜͝͏̸̸" With those last three words in his sentence, Marx flashed those slit eyes and enlarged smile, terrifying the group with his demonic voice before he shifted back to his normal-ish self and vanished. Bowser, Lucario, and King Dedede went ahead while the other fighters stood back.

"I think I know the answer!" Isabelle called out, considering she knew who sells furniture. "It's Redd! Try doing that!" Lucario, upon hearing the mayor's assistant, approached the Fox Supporter, stretching his fists.

"Let's get this over with," Lucario sighed, using the move Force Palm on the puppet with the Redd Spirit.

"Hope your puppy's right," Marx's voice echoed throughout the Mysterious Dimension. "How unfortunate that would be if this was the wrong choice." The ground rumbled underneath the Aura Pokémon and the lime Fox Supporter, with the Town & City stage forming around them. The UV sphere closed around the two warriors, creating the background for the stage before the Fox Supporter began dashing towards Lucario in a fit of rage.

Lucario, upon blocking the incoming attacks, watched as crates filled with wacky items spawned in midair and dropped onto the stage, gravitating towards the puppet fighter. The Fox Supporter picked up the crates one by one, throwing them at Lucario. The Pokémon took advantage of this and dodged them on by one, keeping in mind of the items that dropped out of the boxes. There was an Ore Club, Beetle, and Pitfall all moving towards the lime Fox Supporter. Lucario quickly grabbed ahold of the Pitfall and threw it onto the ground feet ahead of the puppet fighter before holding onto the Ore Club, not having enough time to get the Beetle from the Fox Supporter.

"Why don't we just talk about this?" Lucario asked, swinging the Ore Club at the Beetle flying towards him and breaking it. "How do you feel of how Galeem and Dharkon have been treating you all these years? What do you have to go through to end up in a body you are most uncomfortable with?" The Fox Supporter simply did not answer as it matched towards the Pokémon, unaware of the Pitfall set down before as it buried the puppet fighter in the ground.

"Guess you leave me no choice…" Lucario sighed, swinging his Ore Club at the vulnerable puppet's face, knocking it into the blast zone surrounding the Town & City stage. The UV sphere dissolved into thin air, and the terrain of the battlefield merged with the ground in front of the tree. Lucario made a soft landing, hoping that the Redd Spirit he rescued was the correct choice to go up to the junkyard. Much to their surprise, a path of light streamed up next to the Builder Mario Supporter, which disintegrated into Shadow Bugs while taking the Maruhige Shop Owner Spirit with it. Marx appeared again, rather surprised by this.

"Okay, you guys win this round thanks to that small mutt of yours," Marx sighed, folding his wings behind his body. "Now just rescue your friend up there and we'll get going with the more difficult challenges. I'm not gonna bother you until you rescue your friend up there." Bowser, King Dedede, and Lucario all looked at each other before they turned around to their group.

"You guys wait right here," Bowser said, letting his claws latch onto the path of light before it automatically took him to the junkyard atop the branches. Lucario and King Dedede followed after him, already prepared to rescue one of their many friends trapped within the Mysterious Dimension.

The three fighters looked around the junkyard, starting to feel worried about the Spirits trapped in this realm as they searched for one of the Primaries. What would ever happen to the Spirits that were the incorrect answers? How would they try their best to escape from the draconic gods? Is there a way for the Spirits to obtain their bodies and return home if they finally defeat Galeem and Dharkon?

As King Dedede and Lucario were looking through the junkyard to find the Primary, Bowser heard something scurry through the trash. The Koopa King looked around and saw a figure creeping around behind the garbage piles. At first, Bowser thought it was Marx playing another one of his tricks again, but the figure was a different shape from the jester. Eventually, the noise stopped, and Bowser crept up to a small pile of where he believed the mysterious guest was hiding.

Once Bowser lifted up the trash in one clean scoop with both of his clawed hands, unable to hear the sounds of the stranger running away, he suddenly spotted Marx hiding behind the pile. In his talons, the demon held some sort of crown with eyes, and he shoved it onto Bowser's red hair. A cloud of pink glitter engulfed Bowser, and his transformation changed completely. What remained of the Koopa King now stood a Peach look-alike with golden hair, pale skin, a black strapless dress, spiked bracelets, and horns on the sides of the crown resting on her head. The transformed Bowser screamed in horror while Marx laughed hysterically, gathering the attention of Lucario and King Dedede.

"Ah! Get it off me!" the Bowser-Peach hybrid cried in a voice similar to Peach, her face beaming red as she tried to adjust to the situation. When King Dedede and Lucario heard Marx laughing humorously, they attempted not to laugh.

"GET IT OFF ME!" the transformed Bowser squealed, grabbing ahold of the crown on her head and pulling it off. Bowser turned back to normal, filled with relief, and threw the crown at Marx. Once the power-up hit the demon's face, Marx could do nothing but hold in his laughs.

"You said you weren't gonna bother us!" Bowser snapped, growling in his usual voice.

"I'm sorry…!" Marx snickered as he hid his mouth behind his talons. "I just couldn't resist. You were pretty gullible enough to fall into that trick."

"You sure looked cute when you looked like a gal," King Dedede chuckled, causing the Koopa King to sweat nervously.

"Okay, okay," Marx sighed, trying to calm his laughter down. "No more bothering you like that. Y'know, before I put that crown on Bowser's head and turned him into a gothic princess, there was another fighter hiding behind that pile. The challenger has been stuck in my realm for quite a while, and they know all about my tricks and traps. They're not even a Primary. They left before I appeared and pulled that prank on Bowser."

The three Smashers could not believe it. Had they just missed contact with the sixth warrior to survive Galeem's attack? Not much was spoken about the mysterious figure as soon as it hid behind one of the piles, vanishing without a trace.

"Oh, by the way, the pal you're looking for is right behind you," Marx continued. "Sic 'em, Regigigas!" The demonic entity vanished without another word. Lucario, King Dedede, and Bowser turned around to see none other than the R.O.B. Primary, who was possessed by the Colossal Pokémon. King Dedede charged straight for the captured fighter, but the R.O.B. Primary simply used his robotic arms to block the massive hammer swings. He then picked up the King of Dreamland, flinging him into a pile of trash.

This left the R.O.B. Primary open to Lucario's powerful kicks, and he began dodging the gray arms swinging over his head. The captured fighter's torso moved down the spine, and it spun around in a circle down at the base. Lucario flinched from the attack and jumped back, but Bowser was basically indestructible as he charged a forward smash behind the R.O.B. Primary. King Dedede jumped out from the trash pile and started thrusting his mallet in front of him, hitting the possessed ex-Ancient Minister and knocking him into the ground. Once the R.O.B. Primary stood up, he kept an open mind of a Gordo flying straight for his face. He used his side special, spinning his arms around his body and reflecting the Gordo at Bowser. Lucario got in front of the Koopa King and used Double Team, sending it back at King Dedede. The King of Dreamland inhaled his own Gordo and spat it behind the R.O.B. Primary, creating enough damage to knock out the captured fighter.

As R.O.B.'s unconscious body fell to the ground, the red mist surrounding his robotic body broke off with the Dharkon Lock, the Regigigas Spirit flew off in the red cloud, freeing R.O.B. from the control of the Seraph of Chaos. R.O.B.'s camera eyes slowly adjusted as he looked up, the shutters adjusting his vision as he got back on the wheels below his base.

"Looks like you're safe now," Lucario sighed with relief. "Come on. We have no time to waste, and who knows what kinds of tricks Marx has in his grimy claws?" The Aura Pokémon got to the edge of the light path, sliding from the junkyard down the tree back to the group. As R.O.B., King Dedede, and Bowser followed after him, the mysterious figure watching before peeked out from one of the garbage piles in the junkyard, still keeping their face hidden. Marx appeared right behind the hidden fighter, standing on the dirty ground and wingless.

"I suppose you're waiting for a chance to show up, huh?" Marx asked the stranger. "You think combining your strength with these guys can stop what I have planned? I suppose I can kill you right there and now, but where's the fun in that?" Marx then floated into the air, his golden wings with hexagon scales appearing as he vanished, leaving behind the hidden stranger and his echoing laughter ringing throughout the Mysterious Dimension.


	80. Pt 80: More Games To Play

The reunited fighters made their way to a pathway of two hills on their left, which were spiraled like soft-served ice cream. By the time they approached closer, six Supporters arrived on the sides of each hill. The Supporters on the left path were of PAC-MAN, Mario, and Luigi. On the right was an Isabelle clone, and in the middle of the two hills were a tiny Jigglypuff and normal-sized Daisy. Marx appeared in front of the group, resting his spherical body on one of the hills.

"Next question is gonna be about harder: which of these Spirits is a Nopon?" Marx asked, pulling out a stopwatch with hands spinning left and right rapidly, with nonsensical words like "eleventeen" and "fifty-twen" replacing the numbers. "You've got 30 seconds to solve this one, or you're going out ACME-style!" The Smashers looked up in the sky, spotting a giant anvil hanging over them by a weak thread. Isabelle trembled in place at how humongous that thing was, holding her paws in front of her face.

"Hope you end up like those Saturday-morning cartoons with stars dancing around your faces!" Marx laughed, vanishing via teleportation. Rosalina approached the Supporters, scratching her head in confusion.

"What even is a Nopon?" Rosalina asked, her Luma shrugging its stubby arms as a response.

"Well, do we at least have a fighter that knows anything about Nopons?" Bowser replied.

"From what I could recall, Shulk had been talking about how Nopons and Homs have been living in peace in Bionis, helping each other out," Samus answered. "First, you need to know which one of these Spirits is a Nopon?" Rosalina looked back at the Supporters before she looked up at the anvil, its thread near the verge of breaking. The team with the PAC-MAN clone revealed a Spirit known as Starlow, the Jigglypuff and Daisy Supporters showed Tora, and the Isabelle Supporter had Nago as its puppeteer.

"Watcha waiting for?" Marx's voice echoed. "The clock's ticking…" Rosalina carefully and quickly analyzed the different Spirits, remembering the fact that Marx had eyes everywhere. After careful consideration, she and her Luma approached the team with Jigglypuff and Daisy, unaware that the anvil's thread broke and was now falling on the team of fighters. The Smashers looked up in fear of being crushed before Marx appeared below them. Despite being tiny, the jester demon was carrying the weight of the giant anvil quite easily.

"She picked her prey," Marx spoke. "Pray that it's the right choice or there's gonna be bloody fruitcake on the road."

"You do know what dem Nopon critters look like, right?" King Dedede asked.

"I am aware," Rosalina answered, setting her eyes on the Jigglypuff and Daisy Supporters in the middle of the two hills. "I just hope I'm correct." The blue maiden felt the ground underneath her rumble, and a barrier of white blinded her and her Luma. It seemed as though the Supporters were growing farther from her because the stage shifted into the Gaur Plains stage.

* * *

As soon as things seemed to calm down, Rosalina & Luma looked at the other side of the peculiar cliff to see the two puppets constantly shielding, walking around without attacking the maiden in order to recharge their shields. The Luma began speaking in its chirpy language by which its mother could understand.

"So you're telling me that their shields can absorb more damage and not shrink upon impact, and the best solution is throwing them into the blast zone?" Rosalina asked. The Luma nodded its nonexistent head, and the blue maiden took that into consideration before she daintily jumped to the other cliff. The Supporters didn't instantly start attacking her but instead continued shielding. This left them open to Rosalina grabbing the Daisy Supporter and tossing it into the blast zone. The blue maiden turned around to see the Jigglypuff Supporter wasn't attacking her, but was still shielding. Rosalina used the wand in her hand to let the Luma charge up a forward smash and break the shield in one hit. Due to Jigglypuff's shield instantly KO-ing upon breaking, the Supporter shot straight up to the blast zone, letting Rosalina & Luma win the battle.

* * *

Before she could think straight, the ground underneath her rumbled, and the landscape around her faded, transforming back into the strange atmosphere of the Mysterious Dimension. Upon spotting this, Marx tossed the giant anvil he was carrying up into the air, shooting a giant laser from his mouth and dissolving the anvil into dust which snowed upon the fighters.

"Right again, fellas!" Marx chuckled, snapping his talons like fingers. The remaining Supporters vanished once again, and a path of light spawned between the two hills, advancing to the next path.

"You're a lot more clever than you look, especially Chicken Balls," Marx continued. Samus got rather irritated by this as she raised her arm cannon at the demonic jester, considering how she was raised by Chozos and she often rolls around in her suit.

"Easy, Samus," Lucario reassured, helping her lower her weapon. Marx vanished once again, and the group began gliding to the end of the path of light. Where they landed next was a dystopian city with broken buildings floating around. Cherry trees grew next to the concrete road they were on, which split up into four paths of levitating rubble. Marx appeared in front of them again, rubbing his talons together.

"Let's get this over with," Marx sighed. "Which of these Spirits has ruled the Twilight Realm before Midna returned to power?" Supporters appeared on all but one of the paths, with the fourth route in the middle on the group's right obviously being the advancement to the next road. On the rightmost path was a Robin Supporter clothed in dark violet with black hair controlled by Zant, the leftmost path had two Robins with red clothing as Agahnim, and next to the puppet team on their left was a black King K. Rool Supporter possessed by The Imprisoned.

"This has to be a simple answer, right?" Lucas asked. "Link, Zelda, Ganondorf: they all had designs from the era when the Twilight Realm merged with Hyrule as they explained it twenty years ago. Ganondorf mainly talked about how he convinced a being named Zant to control the Twilight Realm and overthrow his mistress, who was Midna at that time. It obviously can't be Agahnim since he has no knowledge of the Twilight Realm, and The Imprisoned was obviously reincarnated into the Ganondorf we're familiar with."

"I appreciate someone that's timid but has encyclopedic knowledge," Marx chuckled, watching the Piranha Plant walk up to the black-clothed Robin Supporter.

"Please choose the right one…" Isabelle told the carnivorous flower.

"Pichu Pichu…" Pichu squeaked. The Piranha Plant walked up to the route that the Zant Spirit was on, licking his white lips. The carnivorous flower wasted no time biting deep into the black Robin Supporter's leg, holding its squirming arms as the ground rumbled underneath the plant. The path broke off, shifting into the Battlefield version of the Bridge of Eldin. The Robin Supporter tossed a Pokéball in the center of the stage, and Abra was released from it. The Piranha Plant also knew that the battle was timed, so he had to be fast.

The carnivorous flower moved around the stage, watching out for the floating and teleporting Abra which was gonna get him offstage as well as avoiding moves like Thunder and Arcfire. He moved left and right until the Pokémon vanished naturally, leaving the Piranha Plant to keep on spamming his poisonous spits and spiked balls at the Robin Supporter. The puppet fighter then suddenly grew big, but it wasn't enough to save itself as the Piranha Plant simply thrusted his flower pot downward, spiking the puppet before it could use Elwind to recover.

Once Piranha Plant reappeared in front of the group, the other three Supporters disintegrated into Shadow Bugs and retreated before they could rescue the captured Spirits. A path of light stemmed from the empty route, spiraling down to a giant steel roof merged with a construction site.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Marx sighed as he levitated a bit higher, starting to get rather annoyed by the fact that his prey was answering correctly. "You know the drill. You go down there and get ready to answer the next question." The demon then vanished, and the group advanced to the next location. By the time they landed, there were two paths for them to choose, one of them was the path on their left which led to a spring near a tourist plane at the end, covered in vines and attached to a tree. The main route to the vortex was on their right.

"Alright, people," Samus spoke, going first in front of the group. "Marx's quizzes may be easy for us, but he might pull another trick on us…" The armored bounty hunter was unaware of her surroundings until she was ambushed by a Water Shuriken. Samus' visors quickly alerted her, and she quickly rolled up into a ball and dodged the attack. Jumping out from the shadows was the Greninja Primary, which landed on top of one of the rusting cranes. The Master Legendary Spirit possessing Greninja's body was the Nightmare Pokémon Darkrai.

"Well, well, well," Marx chuckled as he watched from the sky, sporting his enlarged smile and demonic eyes. "Looks like you fellas found a new pal to rescue, and he's controlled by a Pokémon that creates nightmares! T̵̵͟͠͠ḩ͟į̷͟͡s̢͢ ̕͘͟i̵̕͜͡s̵̷̨ ̕͝g̴̛̛͘ó̴̀͠n̴̛͜n̡͢͝͡a͏͝ ̧b͜ȩ̵̧ ̨́̀f̀͠u̶̷͢͝͝n̶͘͝!̶͘" The jester simply levitated in midair, clapping his talons together and spawning a striped recliner, creating a container of popcorn for him to snack on.

"Dark… Let me get a good look at the party," Darkrai's voice spoke from the Greninja Primary as he crept his way around the group. "You seem to be the perfect targets Dharkon has instructed me to hunt down. Allow me to help you though with this mission." The Greninja Primary cast the move Dark Void, trapping all but the Piranha Plant into a sleep that damaged them in the process. The carnivorous flower use the multi-hitboxes to move out of the void, keeping in mind of the captured fighter's Shadow Sneak move.

"I see you're rather special, considering you are nothing more than a generic enemy," the Greninja Primary chuckled, surprised that the Piranha Plant ducked into his flower pot and was ready to use Long-Stem Strike on the captured fighter. As soon as the Piranha Plant bit into the moist skin of the Greninja Primary, a vortex not from the Dark Void move transported them both to the Final Destination version of Spear Pillar while all the other fighters were asleep.

"Hm… not nearly as exciting when the audience hits the hay," Marx sighed, retaining his original appearance outside of the wings as he loomed over the sleeping fighters, his empty popcorn bucket leaving crumbs on their faces. "Let's see what's happening on the other side…" Marx then shut his eyes as he closed his wings in front of his face, giving him a window into the stage where Piranha Plant was attacking the Greninja Primary.

* * *

The carnivorous flower kept his distance from the captured fighter by spamming his spiked balls and poisonous spits, blocking the Greninja Primary's attacks. The captured fighter cast Dark Void again, creating a vortex strong enough to pull the Piranha Plant in. Again, the plant simply used the hurtboxes and moved his way out using Piranhacopter, spinning his leaves around his stem like a chopper.

"Wish I can interfere with the Final Destination, but I clearly don't wanna spoil the fun yet…" Marx chuckled to himself, controlling his voice so that the Piranha Plant could not hear the jester demon. The Greninja Primary heard Marx's voice, distracting it from another one of Piranha Plant's smash attacks by his swinging flower pot. This was enough to send the captured fighter flying off-stage and let the Piranha Plant gimp it with projectiles.

"Impossible!" the Greninja Primary exclaimed, attempting to use Hydro Pump to recover but was constantly gimped until it was too far to grab onto the ledge.

"Don't blame me, Darkrai," Marx's voice resounded as the Greninja Primary fell into the blast zone. "You and all other Primaries before you did this to yourself." The blast zone echoed with the Greninja Primary's defeat, nabbing victory for the plant. The vortex flashed a bright white, bringing the carnivorous flower back to the construction site when the other fighters woke up from the Dark Void move.

* * *

"Oh my…!" Isabelle gasped, her face red from embarrassment as she adjusted her skirt. "How humiliating for us to fall asleep in the middle of a fight! What happened anyway?"

"Grenin…" Greninja groaned, rubbing his webbed hand across his face as he was slowly waking up. The Pokémon opened his eyes, with his violet eyes and red mist completely gone while the Darkrai Spirit floated away with the red mist.

"It's alright, Greninja," Rosalina eased. "You're free now…" R.O.B. beeped a couple times when he alerted the other fighters of Marx appearing right in front of them.

"So I suppose some of you are wondering: When's the next quiz?" Marx asked. "Very soon, as long as you hurry along. If you like, you can take the scenic route and have your pals wait until you're done with your little side quest. See ya on the other side!" The demon then vanished, and the other fighters journeyed down the path.

"Rosalina, R.O.B., Greninja, and I will head to the plane for any secrets," Sherry told everyone on the team. "The rest of you wait until we get back." The four fighters ran off to the spring, leaving the other Smashers to wait on the other route on their right.


	81. Pt 81: Trivias Galore

Once the fighters got to where the path split up, Sherry went with Greninja, Rosalina & Luma, and R.O.B. towards the spring. Marx managed to teleport in front of the small band once they got to the edge of the spring. Right behind the jester was a gold Mii Brawler Supporter, a blue Snake Supporter with a green-clothed Zero Suit Samus, and a gray Ganondorf Supporter.

"So… I've been thinking of the next question to ask you fleshlings, as well as a suitable punishment should you fail," Marx explained, placing one of his claws on his lower lip. "Which of these Spirits is a scientist? If you answer wrong, you'll have to explain yourself to Cackles."

"Cackles?" Rosalina asked. Marx snapped his talons, and emerging from the ground behind them was a birthday clown animated like a 1910's cartoon character with the squash-and-stretch animation, his lower jaw and eyes torn from his face. He had submachine guns replacing his arms, and his legs were supported by eight spider legs.

"I really couldn't think of any ideas," Marx continued, rubbing in the middle of his hat. "So I basically came up with this 2D-abomination from my twisted head. Better pick the answer fast or Cackles will mow you down without your friends to see you as a bloody mess."

"I suppose we can see that," Sherry responded, her heart beating fast with fear as she looked up at the terrifying clown-thing.

"Just solve the quiz before my pet gets impatient," Marx finished. "Oh! And you better not be fighting him. That would count as a death penalty." The demon vanished, and the four fighters slowly approached the different Supporters. The Gold Bone Spirit possessed the gold Mii Brawler Supporter, Adam Malkovich took control of the Snake and Zero Suit Samus puppets, and Andross was the main puppeteer of the Ganondorf Supporter.

"This is harder than it looks," Sherry sighed. "We don't even know if any of these Spirits are canonically smart enough to be classified as scientists…" The clown monster behind the Smashers rubbed his gun-arms together, with his upper teeth growing to a slightly longer length as it smelled their presence. Swallowing the saliva in her mouth, the ex-Gunner Ultimate Reborn had no idea that R.O.B. moved a bit closer to the Ganondorf Supporter.

"R.O.B.?" the Mii Gunner asked. "What are you doing?" The gray robot then stopped in front of the puppet fighter, moving his arms towards the puppet while he kept on beeping. In his spoken language, he had learned that Fox, Falco, and Wolf all saw Andross as a mad scientist, one who harnessed the energy of the planet Venom and threatened to conquer the Lylat System with Star Wolf by his side. However, considering that the other three fighters cannot understand R.O.B. as well as know the backstories of the three anthropomorphic mercenaries, they were noticeably confused.

"…I hope you're right about this one, R.O.B.," the Mii Gunner sighed, cocking her arm cannon as she slowly approached the Ganondorf Supporter. She looked back on the jawless clown monster, who kept on staring at them. Once the Mii Gunner and R.O.B. stepped in front of the gray Ganondorf Supporter, a UV sphere formed around them once the ground rumbled. The sphere's insides transformed into the lifeless, hazardous landed of the planet Venom, and the ground was metallic under the feet of the two Smashers. They were standing on the wings of the Great Fox, with the Ganondorf Supporter on the other side.

"Keep me covered!" Sherry spoke, charging up her arm cannon as R.O.B. went over the ship to the puppet fighter. The ex-Ancient Minister continuously spammed his Arm Rotor move, drilling into the Ganondorf Supporter on the stage before following up with a string of neutral aerials. Every time the puppet fighter jumped out, Sherry would come out and kick him back in. Every thing was fun for the two Smashers until the main Assist Trophy was summoned.

It was Andross himself… or his mechanical incarnation that in now way represented his simian facial features. The disembodied head started spitting out tiles that targeted the small team, and the Ganondorf Supporter was racking damage upon them.

"We have to keep moving around the stage and get that puppet off the ship!" Sherry told R.O.B. as she ran around the wings and avoiding the tiles. Since they were primarily targeting the ex-Gunner Ultimate Reborn, the robot saw it as his chance to attack the Ganondorf Supporter with beams and gyros, eventually helping him leading to a powerful spike before the Andross Assist Trophy spotted R.O.B. and targeted him.

After the two Smashers successfully arrived back at the spring, having just released the Andross Spirit from his puppet prison, the other Supporters once again vanished without a trace. Rosalina held tight to her Luma as she and Greninja backed away towards the two fighters, the four of them huddling close to each other as Cackles slowly approached them. Just then, Marx flashed between the monster and the small group. The jawless, blinded clown tilted his head in confusion by that encounter.

"Hey! This was a part of the deal!" Marx scolded the clown creature he made. "You let them go once I see to it that they've answered correctly." The winged jester turned around so he was facing the four Smashers, with a path of light streaming from the spring to the abandoned plane hanging from the vines.

"You guys can go over there, if you like," Marx continued. "Figured you would reunite with an old friend…" Once the four fighters slid down the light path to the slide, Marx looked back at his creation. Even though his eyes were gouged out, he could still feel the trepidations rising from Marx's cold stare. The demon's eyes dilated until they were tiny black dots, his gaze fixated on the other fighters waiting at the second path from the spring.

There was something unnatural about this version of Marx. He may be serving Dharkon for the time being, but his perturbation was at an unnatural level to the point where he would kill anyone if things didn't go his way in a violent rage of temper. He made a slick motion across his nonexistent neck with one of his finger-like talons, mainly just as a means of threatening the creature he made. It would be foolish right now to see the plans Marx had in mind. Why didn't he kill the fighters on the spot like he was assigned to? Maybe out of curiosity, entertainment before the slaughter, or both. One thing's for sure right now: both he and the fighters were being educated.

* * *

The four Smashers walked on the large branch, trying to keep their balances on the slippery bark. Rosalina's Luma hovered over the bottomless abyss down below, supporting its mother so she wouldn't fall.

"Careful where you step," Sherry warned, gently placing her foot on the broken wing of the plane. "Looks like this thing isn't well secure…" It wasn't long before what, or who, they were searching for ambushed them the second they set foot on the abandoned plane – Wolf O' Donnell possessed by Mumkhar. The Wolf Primary growled at the four fighters, pulling out his blaster and firing charged shots at the four fighters. He grabbed Greninja as the Pokémon attacked from behind, his claws digging deep into the moist blue skin and causing them to bleed. Greninja simply pushed away and pulled out blades of water, slashing at the captured fighter as the Mii Gunner tossed grenades and bombs. The Wolf Primary noticed Sherry and R.O.B. camping out with projectiles, so he pulled out his reflector and knocked back all the projectiles. This apparently caused the vines to snap, with the other vines giving up holding the plane's weight.

Greninja knocked the Wolf Primary down onto his legs, dashing towards R.O.B. and Sherry on the tree. As the captured fighter dashed towards them on the falling plane, Rosalina slapped the Wolf Primary in the face with her wand while her Luma tied the captured fighter's legs with vines. As soon as the plane was about to fall into the abyss with the Wolf Primary, the four fighters gathered onto the tree and watched with fear in their eyes as the captured fighter fell with the plane into the abyss of the Mysterious Dimension, with the aircraft exploding seconds after for whatever reason. A small moment later, the four Smashers watched as Wolf's unconscious body was carried to where the rest of their friends were waiting at via shattered Dharkon Lock and Mumkhar Spirit.

"Do you think he's…?" Rosalina asked, holding tight to her Luma like a plush toy.

"Yep," the ex-Gunner Ultimate Reborn answered, already knowing what's what. "Let's head back to our pals." Sherry slid back to the spring by the same path of light they took, with Rosalina and her Luma, Greninja, and R.O.B. following after her.

* * *

The four Smashers ran back to Samus, Lucario, King Dedede, Bowser, Lucas, Isabelle, Pichu, and Piranha Plant just in time to see Wolf's body gently lowered in front of them. The red mist that carried the Star Wolf leader flew off into the sky with the Mumkhar Spirit, never to return.

"Ugh… my head…" Wolf O' Donnell growled, rubbing half of his face with his hands as he sat up. He opened up his uncovered eye, which was lacking the violet hue it kept around all those years. "I suppose I should thank you guys for saving me…"

"Don't mention it," Sherry chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "Let's get going now. We still have plenty more souls like you in need of rescuing." Once the group of Smashers continued down the now-wooden path, they were stopped by Marx once again.

"Back from the dead, ain't ya guys?" Marx chuckled, levitating at a height impossible for the fighters to reach. "Hope you're prepared again because it's time for another quiz!" Spawning in different parts of the wooden path this time were two Inkling Supporters: one pink and the other purple, a Pikachu Supporter in its female Pikachu Libre form, and a team of puppets consisting of Wolf, Peach, and Ike.

"Which one of these groups hails from Inkopolis?" Marx asked, snapping his talons again. Spawning right behind the Smashers was some sort of undead creature with different parts of all sort of dinosaurs from multiple eras stitched together.

"Roxy's gonna eat those who don't answer fast as well as those who answer incorrectly," Marx explained. "Don't fuck up or else you'll be inside his belly for the next millennia." In the group with the Wolf Supporter partnered with the Peach and Ike minions, they had the Gangster, Lady, and Policeman Spirit. For the Pikachu Libre Supporter was the Reporter and Wrestler Spirit, and the two Inkling Supporters had Pearl and Marina, otherwise known as Off The Hook.

"The Inklings look like they came from Inkopolis," Samus explained. "Obviously it would be these two fish creatures considering the other Spirit teams don't look like they came from a world of anthropomorphic cephalopods."

"Clever as usual, I see," Marx sighed with a bit of defeat. "This shouldn't be too hard for you then." The demon then vanished the moment Samus stepped in front of the Inkling Supporters. While the battle was being prepared, Isabelle looked to her right to see a cloudy path. Right at the end of the short route was a being with a red aura, violet eyes, and the obvious chance it is…

"Another Primary!" Isabelle silently gasped, running towards the cloud path before she realized something. The Frankenstein's monster-like dinosaur loomed over the innocent dog, his hot, sticky breath warming her coat of blond fur. Marx appeared in front of Roxy via teleportation, easing the monstrous beast.

"Easy, mutt," Marx shushed. "Leave Cuddly-Wuddly to her intentions. We don't want her spoiled for the real fun, don't we?" Roxy, with a soft growl and a sharp gleam in his pale eyes, backed away. Isabelle looked up at Marx, surprised by what he did.

"I… uh… thank you," Isabelle spoke. "For a demon like yourself, you sure do plenty of humane things."

"I appreciate what you just said, puppy," Marx chuckled, not looking Isabelle in the face as he kept his back turned. "Now hurry along and satisfy your curiosity. I wanna be seeing everyone gathered before the big day." Isabelle, without another word, ran off down the cloudy path, leaving Marx to open a visionary window to the Inkopolis stage where Samus and King Dedede were taking down the Inkling Supporters as the Squid Sisters Assist Trophy moved the blast zone closer for a limited time.

When Isabelle walked to the end of the cloudy path to meet up with the Primary, she stopped in front of the captured fighter to admire the features. The being just so happened to be the Corrin Primary possessed by the Master Legendary Azura herself.

"Who dares approach me in this realm of nonsense?" Azura's voice asked from Corrin's body.

"Me!" Isabelle answered with determination. "I came here alone and I'm ready to take you down!"

"What a terrible mistake you made coming here alone," the Corrin Primary spoke. "At least be glad you're free from the terrible pain we have endured all these years. To be locked away from our own bodies that are left to decay on desolated planets until the end of time."

"I know plenty… and that's why I am going to free you – both the Spirit and the captured fighter!" Isabelle responded, pulling out her fishing rod and casting it at the Corrin Primary. The captured fighter managed to dodge it as he jumped up and spun in circles with his Yato Blade. Isabelle quickly dodged that and planted a Lloid Rocket underneath his feet, launching the Corrin Primary into the air. The assistant mayor then hopped up and pulled out pom-poms, whacking them at the captured fighter's face. She then threw a vase into the Corrin Primary's chest before she pulled out a broom and swung it around her body, forcing the Corrin Primary to get back up on his feet.

"You can't stop all of us," the Corrin Primary spoke, the rotor blades in his glowing sword spinning around the weapon like a chainsaw.

"True… but you're in a Smasher's body," Isabelle spoke, keeping a keen eye out for the captured fighter dashing towards her in pure spite. "And every Smasher has a weakness." The assistant mayor cast out her fishing rod as soon as the Corrin Primary cut one of his bare feet from the shattered vase. As the captured fighter groaned in pain from the intense cut, the hook of the fishing rod cut deep into the skin of his other foot. Once Isabelle pulled away, the Corrin Primary groaned from the sounds on his feet. Enraged, the possessed half-dragon transformed into his quadrupedal draconic self, firing a geyser of scalding water. Isabelle's tiny heart quivered as she pulled out her arm and pocketed the geyser. She tossed it back, much to the Corrin Primary's surprise, and the captured fighter was boiled alive.

After the Azura Spirit and the shattered Dharkon Lock left Corrin's healed body, the Dragon Prince slowly opened his red eyes, which no longer held the aura of captivity. Isabelle ran to Corrin, picking up his Yato Blade and giving it to him. Corrin held tight to his weapon, balancing himself with it.

"Relax, Corrin," Isabelle spoke, taking hold of Corrin's empty hand and leading him up the cloudy path.

"I… where am I?" Corrin asked once Isabelle walked back to the group with the half-dragon. The two fighters arrived in time to see Samus and King Dedede successfully defeat the Off The Hook Spirit, freeing Pearl and Marina while the other two Spirit groups vanished with the Shadow Bugs. Roxy's stitched body, after no longer serving its purpose to watch over the fighters, let its body parts collapse into an unstitched dinosaur mess. The bounty hunter suddenly noticed Corrin from within the group, and the other Smashers were filled with relief.

"We thought we would never find you here," Rosalina spoke, with Pichu hopping into Corrin's arms and hugging his chest tightly.

"You can thank Isabelle for rescuing me," Corrin answered. "What is this place anyway? It almost looks like some sort of…"

"Weird Armageddon?" Samus pointed out.

"Exactly," Corrin answered, thanking the bounty hunter for correcting him. "Though I must ask, since most of you guys have just arrived here, would you mind telling me what this Marx person wants from us?"

"Who knows?" the Mii Gunner sighed. "It doesn't seem like he has any real purpose here. He just seems to do his own thing. King Dedede warned up that he's extremely intelligent and will do whatever it takes to get his way… depending on what his motivations are…" A light path stemming from the wooden path appeared, leading to some sort of collapsing colosseum. The massive structure was surrounded by rubble of its limestone shell, no doubt a relic from the Ancient Roman times.

"We better get going," Bowser spoke. "That little demon might not be happy if we lollygag too long." Following the Koopa King, the rest of Group C got on the path of light and slid down to the colosseum. Marx himself teleported onto the wooden path, tucking his golden wings behind his back.

"They clearly don't know about the past, do they?" Marx asked, keeping his eyes their usual big size. Just then, he heard footsteps from behind, and he turned around to face the hidden figure in the shadows.

"Don't give me that attitude," Marx continued. "You chose to stay here after splitting up from your pals. Now you'll need to rely on these flesh sacks in order for you to escape. It's bad enough that you're making my broken rules more broken. Now go follow them. Or don't. It's your choice." Marx floated up into the air, spreading his wings once more and vanishing.

This hidden figure was no doubt another survivor of Galeem's attack prior ten years ago, and they slid down the exact same path of light the group traversed.


End file.
